To Kill a Mockingbird

Outstanding classic book, perfect gift for a family member who loves classics. Story is excellent; writing is superb -- way better than the movie (Gregory Peck) but the movie was fabulous. A must read for anyone able to read!!!

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a classic. When I was in middle school in the 60's it was required reading. The book is a powerful story that explores racism, injustice, and moral growth. The story is told through the eyes of a child, who learns valuable life lessons that will undoubtedly shape her into a responsible, compassionate, and moral person. The book is so beautifully written and powerful. This is an excellent book to re-read every decade or so, reminding us of the value of empathy. I have purchased several copies over the years and eventually gave them away to loved ones.

If you watched the movie and haven’t read the book, you are missing so much. It is a must read. It is classic.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper lee is an amazing novel. This book is through the eyes of a young child named jean-louise/scout finch who is a very big tomboy. This book is very good and you end up getting very fond of the characters it almost seems that your growing up with them. As you may know this book is a classic, reading it now the only thing that bothers me is the grammar and the language but in the end i love this book. I highly recommend it for anyone 13 or older because it can be inappropriate sometimes but it's a classic for a reason. This book is very fun to read and see the life of the 1930s. Scout and her older brother Jem grow up in different ways and later in the book jem starts discluding scout from the games he does. In this book you can see how racist people were and how much the world has changed. To kill a mockingbird is about racism and some slavery as well this book really gets it’s thought across of how unfair life was during the early 1900’s. Scout also gets to experience school and how strict they were back than to the point where she was hit with a ruler. Scout growing up realizes that life isn't always perfect like it was when she was younger. This book has wide examples of racism and it's very hard to read about it seeing the world now but to me that's just one con of many pros. I believe the themes to To kill a mockingbird are racial injustice. There are some serious problems including racial injustice and rape. [SPOILER] in this book there is a trail about a black man named Tom robinson accused for rape even with no proof and him stating what actually happened he still was considered guilty. I believe this book could also be considered a mystery because in the book the kids including Jem, Scout, and their friend DIll harris are trying to find out what Boo radley looks like, boo radley was a convict for murder and was in house arrested and the kids always tried to get him to come out of the house. This book can be a mystery and other ways as well, In the book scout one day walking home from school saw a few treats hidden in a tree she kept coming back to the tree seeing all these treats and stealing them, she always wondered who put them there though. In the end I believe that this book deserves it's tittle of being a classic. This book may have a slow start until it becomes interesting but after that it is just a all around great book. I really believe that seeing two sibling who very much acted the same and were very close grow up and become more protective of each other and different in their own ways, I quickly realized how engaging this book is the more you read of it and that's why I believe this is a very good novel.

Great book! Great price! My son needed it for his high school English class. I read it before his break was over and he needed it for school. I think I read it in High school too, it seemed vaguely familiar. I got a lot more out of reading it as an adult. So much in there that I didn’t understand as a high school student. It would be a great book for a book club. So many topics for discussion.

When young Scout Finch takes center stage in To Kill a Mockingbird, readers of all ages are in for a story that’s as rich in heart as it is in meaning. Told through the sharp, curious eyes of a little girl growing up in the deep South, this classic novel invites kids (and grown-ups alike) to think big thoughts about fairness, bravery, and what it really means to do the right thing. Harper Lee’s writing is clear and clever, with just the right mix of serious truths and childhood charm. Scout is smart, spunky, and says exactly what she thinks, which makes her a wonderfully relatable guide. Her older brother Jem and their quiet hero of a father, Atticus Finch, are equally unforgettable. (Atticus, it should be noted, delivers life lessons so good they might as well be printed on fortune cookies.) While the story deals with heavy topics like racism and injustice, it does so in a way that younger readers can begin to understand; not by shouting, but by gently showing. And yes, there are courtrooms and sad parts, but there are also hilarious neighbor tales, summer games, and one mysterious Boo who may not be so scary after all. To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t just a school book; it’s a story that sticks, like your favorite bedtime story but with more meaning and fewer dragons. It’s a book that helps young readers grow up just a little bit wiser. Highly recommended for curious minds, brave hearts, and anyone who’s ever wanted to peek behind a front porch curtain.

thank u

A genius book, to read at least once. Buy it or at least give it to someone you like.

Harper Lee hat eine bemerkenswerte Gabe des Geschichtenerzählens. Ihre Kunst ist visuell, voller taktiler Brillanz und mit kinematografischer Fluidität und Subtilität ausgestattet: wir sehen vor unserem geistigen Auge, wie eine Szene mit einer anderen verschmilzt, ohne dass es dabei zu holprigen Übergängen kommt. Die Schicksale der Protagonisten sind im Kopf, im Herzen und in der Seele des Lesers emotional und moralisch miteinander verbunden. ***** Setup Anfang Der Schauplatz dieses Buches (erschienen 1960) ist die fiktive Stadt Macomb (Alabama) Mitte der 1930er Jahre. Dort lebt der Rechtsanwalt Atticus Finch (50 Jahre alt) mit seinen Sohn Jem (Jeremy) und seiner Tochter Scout (Jean Louise) – die auch die Erzählerin der Geschichte ist. Die Geschwister sind zu Beginn des Romans, der etwa eine Zeitspanne von 3 Jahren abdeckt, 10 bzw. 6 Jahre. Die Mutter der beiden starb einige Jahre zuvor. Atticus verteidigt einen schwarzen Mann (Tom Robinson), der der Vergewaltigung einer weißen Frau beschuldigt wird. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass ein solcher in den 1930er Jahren in den Südstaaten einen fairen Prozess bekommt, liegt bei etwa 1 zu einer Million... optimistisch betrachtet. UND: Der Leser sieht die Welt durch die Augen eines jungen Mädchens, das noch versucht, seinen Platz in ihr zu finden (genau wie ihr Bruder), und dem ganzen Trubel um sie herum einen Sinn zu geben. Ein größerer Teil des Buches (und seiner „Faszination“) besteht eben auch aus einem Bericht über das „Aufwachsen“ / „Erwachsen werden“ zweier Kinder, ihren Fragen, Freundschaften zu anderen Kindern & Erwachsenen, ihren Erlebnissen und wie sie diese verarbeiten. ***** Setup Ende Das Buch behandelt eine breite Palette von kontroversen Themen, das Verhüllen von Klassensystemen, Geschlechterrollen, Südstaatenmanieren und Tabus sowie einige Botschaften wie Freundlichkeit, Liebe und Überzeugung - alles in einem skurrilen Bilderroman enthalten, den kein Leser, der je von seinen Seiten beglückt wurde, je vergessen wird. Ich habe TKAM zum ersten Mal vor 40 Jahren in der Schule gelesen und es hat mich tief berührt. Und als ich das Buch im Jahr 2017 noch einmal las, war ich genauso ergriffen, erschüttert, betroffen und überwältigt. Harper Lee brachte uns dazu, Vorurteilen und Ungerechtigkeiten ins Gesicht zu blicken, und danach zu streben, ein Atticus-Fink zu werden. Fähnchen schwingend gibt es 5-Sterne! ***** Einordnung *** Die Weigerung der Afroamerikanerin damals 42-jährigen Rosa Park (1913 - 2005), ihren Sitzplatz in einem Stadtbus einer weißen Person zu überlassen, führt nicht nur zu ihrer Verhaftung und Verurteilung (wegen Störung der öffentlichen Ruhe), sondern löste auch den Montgomery-Bus-Boykott von 1955 aus. *** Die US-amerikanische Professorin für Literatur und Theater-Geschichte, Claudia Durst Johnson, schrieb 1994 in ihrem Buch „To Kill a Mockingbird: Threatening Boundaries“: „In den 33 Jahren seit seiner Veröffentlichung stand das Buch noch nie im Mittelpunkt einer Dissertation, und es war nur Gegenstand von 6 literarischen Studien, von denen einige nicht mehr als ein paar Seiten lang waren.“ *** Harper Lee (1926 - 2016) wuchs in der Stadt Monroeville (Alabama), auf, wo sie sich mit dem später berühmten Schriftsteller Truman Capote anfreundete. Capote war ziemlich sicher Vorbild für den Nachbarjungen Dill (Charles Baker Harris) im Roman. *** Es gab auch zahlreiche Gerüchte, habe Capote habe in Wahrheit den Roman geschrieben oder zumindest stark redigiert. Diese wurden 2006 durch den Fund eines privaten Briefs Capotes an eine Verwandte zu Fall gebracht. *** Originaltitel: „To Kill a Mockingbird“; auf Deutsch: „Wer die Nachtigall stört“. Der „Mockingbird“ ist aber eigentlich die sogenannte Spottdrossel (Mimus polyglottos). Das Gesangsrepertoire des Männchens besteht aus 50 bis 200 Liedern. *** Harper Lee veröffentlichte ein Jahr vor ihrem Tod ihr zweites Buch „Gehe hin, stelle einen Wächter“ (im Original Go Set a Watchman; 2015). Der Titel spielt auf die Rolle von Atticus Finch als den moralischen Kompass ("Wächter") von Maycomb an. Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, mittlerweile 26 Jahre alt und Jurastudentin, kommt aus New York City zu Besuch nach Maycomb und trifft viele der Figuren aus TKAM. ***** Zitate „Aber bevor ich mit anderen leben kann, muss ich mit mir selber leben.“ (Atticus (11. Kapitel)) „Vorurteile, ein schmutziges Wort, und Glaube, ein sauberes, haben etwas gemein: Sie fangen beide da an, wo die Vernunft endet.“ (Onkel Jack Finch; jüngerer Bruder von Atticus) „Dill hatte einen großartigen Plan ausgeheckt, um Boo Radley ohne jede Gefahr für uns herauszulocken. (Man nehme Zitronenbonbons, lege sie als Köder auf den Weg zwischen Radleys Hintertür und dem Vorplatz, und schon wird Boo wie eine Ameise der Spur nachgehen).“ „Man versteht einen Menschen erst dann wirklich, wenn man die Dinge aus seiner Sicht betrachtet - wenn man in seine Haut steigt und darin herumläuft.“ (Atticus (3. Kapitel)) „Wenn ein Kind Sie etwas fragt, antworten Sie, um Himmels willen. Aber machen Sie keine Inszenierung daraus. Kinder sind Kinder, doch sie erkennen ein Ausweichen schneller als Erwachsene, und es bringt sie einfach durcheinander.“ (Atticus)

I bought the kindle version of this Literary Classic today, on the day of Harper Lee's passing. Even though I have a hardback and paperback, it seemed like you can never get enough of To Kill A Mockingbird. What an incredible legacy this amazing author has left the world. This book is absolutely brilliant. I've read the book three times in my life, at ages 13, 21 and now (today) at 42. With each reading I gain a deeper appreciation for the storyline, the author, and the moral beliefs that are challenged within these pages. I still can't believe it was written so long ago and yet Is still so relevant. There are few books that increase in complexity the more they are read, Harper Lee seems to speak to readers of all ages. With its slow, warm and evocative opening chapters, Mockingbird starts off like a sultry summer day in the South. Lee depicts a South of "whistling bob white," biscuits and warm milk, and ladies who on the hottest days bathe twice by noon and then douse themselves in lavender-smelling powder. The story is narrated by Scout, the daughter of Atticus Finch, a criminal defence attorney in the Deep South who is assigned to defend a black man in his trial for raping a white girl. The novel tells the story of how Scout and her family endure the threatening ridicule from their community for Atticus' loyalty to this man. While Harper Lee delivers the message that black people were discriminated against in the Deep South, the other profound message is the struggle that whites endured when they chose to side with the blacks. Though there are many poignant moments, my favourite part was Atticus Finch's closing argument during the trial. His monologue constitutes some of the best pages of literature ever read. No matter how many times this novel is read, the reader will never cease to feel compelled by the message that it delivers. It should be compulsory reading.

To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee REVIEW. "In Harper Lee's timeless classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird," the author explores the complexities of apartheid and racial discrimination in 1930s Alabama. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, the narrator, we witness the intricacies of small-town life in Maycomb County, where social hierarchies and prejudices prevail. Initially, the novel's focus on Scout's childhood adventures with her brother Jem and friend Dill may seem lighthearted, but it skillfully lays the groundwork for the more serious themes that unfold. The introduction of Tom Robinson, a wrongly accused black man, and the reclusive Boo Radley, who becomes an unlikely hero, adds depth to the narrative. Lee's writing is deliberate and nuanced, with clever use of foreshadowing and symbolism. The hand discrepancy, mentioned in the opening paragraph, becomes a pivotal piece of evidence in the trial, highlighting the importance of details. The author's choice to introduce characters through varying names, such as first names, designations, and surnames, adds complexity to the story and keeps the reader engaged. Through "To Kill a Mockingbird," Lee delivers a powerful exploration of empathy, morality, social justice, and the loss of innocence. The novel's thought-provoking themes and relatable characters make it an iconic piece of American literature. As a reader, I appreciated the author's ability to balance lighthearted moments with serious commentary, creating a narrative that is both entertaining and enlightening. Overall, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a masterful tale that has captivated readers for generations, and its exploration of human nature, prejudice, and redemption continues to resonate today." Dr.Shipra Bhattacharya.