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To Kill a Mockingbirdis a 1960Southern Gothicnovelby American authorHarper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools.[1]To Kill a Mockingbirdwon thePulitzer Prizea year after its release, and it has become a classic of modernAmerican literature.[2]The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee\'s observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown ofMonroeville, Alabama, in 1936, when she was ten.[3]
Despite dealing with the serious issues ofrapeandracial inequality, the novel is renowned for its warmth and humor.Atticus Finch, the narrator\'s father, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. The historianJoseph Crespinoexplains, \"In the twentieth century,To Kill a Mockingbirdis probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its main character, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism.\"[4]As aSouthern Gothicnovel andBildungsroman, the primary themes ofTo Kill a Mockingbirdinvolve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence. Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in theDeep South. Lessons from the book emphasize tolerance and decry prejudice.[5]Despite its themes,To Kill a Mockingbirdhas been subject to campaigns for removal from public classrooms, oftenchallengedfor its use of racialepithets. In 2006, British librarians ranked the book ahead of theBibleas one \"every adult should read before they die\".[6]
Reaction to the novel varied widely upon publication. Despite the number of copies sold and its widespread use in education, literary analysis of it is sparse. Author Mary McDonough Murphy, who collected individual impressions ofTo Kill a Mockingbirdby several authors and public figures, calls the book \"an astonishing phenomenon\".[7]It was adapted into the 1962Oscar-winningfilm of the same nameby directorRobert Mulligan, with a screenplay byHorton Foote. Since 1990, a play based on the novel has been performed annually in Harper Lee\'s hometown.
To Kill a Mockingbirdwas Lee\'s only published book untilGo Set a Watchman, an earlier draft ofTo Kill a Mockingbird, was published on July 14, 2015. Lee continued to respond to her work\'s impact until her death in February 2016. She was very guarded about her personal life, and gave her last interview to a journalist in 1964.[8]
