To Kill a Mockingbird : The 40th Anniversary Edition of the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel

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Summary: Extraordinary story of courage through a child's eyes.
Review: On the surface, first-person story of a young girl's adventures in a small southern town during the depression. Story addresses impact of economic hardship and extreme racial injustice through the eyes of the heroine without patronizing her. I believe the character of "Dill" was based on Truman Capote, a childhood friend of Harper Lee. One of the finest books I have ever read; I generally reread it every year or two.

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Summary: wonderful story.
Review: I read this book when it first came out. It is a great novel. from cover to cover. Every reader should read this book. # 1

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Summary: Harper Lee is a prophet
Review: Harper Lee wrote long before the days of civil disobedience and is therefore a prophet to our times. Civil disobedience is an option that occured far beyond the days of civi disobedience, But it has a vital point. We, as tax payers are not regulated by tax without repensentation. Those guys (and they were male) fought for our democracy for freedom. Although Pres.Bush has said that freedom was for all, our dilpomacy was cleary 'freedom for some". We know that as veterans. Don't let the formal freedom for civil liberties be discounted. Under US democracy, we are free.

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Summary: Extremely Touching Adventure
Review: This book tries to do so much, and actually succeeds. It combines mystery with morality and intrigue. You cannot read this book and not be touched deeply by it.

The basic story is seen through the eyes of a child. This child's father is hired to represent a black man who is standing trial for raping a white woman in a racist town.

Bottom line: This book is excellently written and deeply moving. One of the all-time bests.

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Summary: Classic
Review: This is truly a great book. The characters are well-developed, the story is exciting, and some great lessons are learned along the way. In fact, I think that Harper Lee managed to hold up a great MIRROR to Southern society. Every character here seems so realistic. Definitely worth a read!

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Summary: wonderful
Review: To kill a Mocking Bird is a book about two childern who go though life tring to meet a man named who they call boo radley. A man that has not came out of his house in years. They spend time going to their dads court meeting. Their father is defending a man that people think raped a young girl. one of their best friends come every summer!

I loved this book, it made me think of what life was back then.it was wonderful.

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Summary: A Must-Have Classic! Read it at least once!
Review:
To Kill A Mockingbird is a powerful masterpiece at it's best. This classic tale was brought to life by Harper Lee in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, and later became an Academy Award-Winning film. There are over 15 million copies in print with translations in forty languages. The story takes place in Alabama during the Depression, in the early 1900's. It is about a young girl, her brother Jem, and their lawyer father Atticus, who must teach his children the value of every human being, regardless of race. It is a life lesson that is taught not only to the characters in this book, but the reader as well. Harper Lee does a marvelous job allowing the reader to actually live the hatred, love, suspense and determination of this family to stand up for what they believe in. It is a test for them because in the days that To Kill A Mockingbird takes place, race issues were just coming to life, and the true lesson was yet to be learned.

The storyline is about a young girl, Scout, who is at the age of curiosity. She wants to learn about everything, and looks to her older brother Jem to help her learn the ways of life. It is about a father that is forced to raise his children alone, after losing his wife. Through many hardships, this family learns about respect, love, personal growth, and most importantly they learn life lessons. "You never really know a man till you walk a mile in his shoes", says Atticus, who is defending an innocent black man, who is being charged for the rape of a white girl. In the end the real truth comes out, to no avail. The story is also about friendship, found in Dill, a boy that brings excitement to these two young characters. The three quickly become friends and they explore, play, learn, and love one another.

The story is based on Scout Finch, Jem, Dill, Atticus Finch, and many others who bring this book to life. The Radleys, who live next door to the Finches, are a strange and curious family to say the least. Through determination, they all quickly learn the Radleys aren't as strange as they would appear. There is Aunt Alexandra, who is very much against everything that Atticus believes in, she moves in with her brother and tempers flare. The neighbor, Miss Stephanie Crawford nurtures the children and aides them in ways only a woman can, since they lack a mother figure. Culprina, the black housemaid who has been helping Atticus raise his children, also guides this family into a world of understanding. Through all the characters, you find a perfect puzzle, that without just one piece, it would crumble.

The meaning of this book really touches on all the problems that are still very real in this world today. It is a true life lesson for the reader, young and old alike. I don't believe anyone can read this classic and not walk away with something truly special....Love For All.

Also recommended: THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez



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Summary: pretty good for a school assigned book!!
Review: I had to read this book in school and it was pretty good for an educational book. It had many adventures and exciting parts in it. It is about a woman named Scout who is in her thirties. She is narrarating her memories from when she was 6-10 years old. Some memories she talks about include how she and her brother Jem would always walk by the Radley house. They would sometimes find small presents in the knothole of the tree outside and they knew Boo (Arthur) Radley would come out a night to put them there. His brother Nathan wasn't supposed to let him out of the house and Boo had been locked up for the past 15 or so years (ever since he was 16). Another event that takes place is that Atticus, Scout and Jem's dad, is the lawyer representing a black man who has been accused of rape. Many people in the town are racist and don't think he should represent the case but he has to, to keep his moral value. This book takes place in the 1930's. The only reason why I didn't give this book five stars was that it isn't my type of genre, I don't really like historical fiction type stories, but other wise this book was very good!!

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Summary: Simply the best
Review: Scout Finch, the daughter of a southern lawyer, reflects upon her childhood years in the classic TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. With child narration reminiscent of that in BARK OF THE DOGWOOD (though that novel came later), Lee give us a tour-de-force gem that remains as powerful today as the day it was written. In a series of engrossing events the tale of life in a small southern town unfolds. Never slow, the narrative moves swiftly from one action to another in highly fluid form. From the eyes of a little girl, the reader witnesses the unfolding of a series of events through which she is brought face to face with prejudice and bigotry. The forms that this prejudice takes are both subtle and obvious. Black and white, old and young, rich and poor, cultured and earthy, educated and ignorant, Scout encounters hatred and fear in almost all the people around her. Her world is shown in a series of expanding circles with herself in the center, her brother and friend next, her father and housekeeper next, then neighbors, teachers, schoolmates etc. in ever widening circles. Starting with the outermost people and working inward, the innermost hatreds of the human heart are revealed to her. As she awakens to more and more varieties of prejudice she seeks to separate herself from them. During the climax of the book, Scout is shown, for the first time, her own heart and the prejudice within. In a moving final narrative, she admits her own failing and awakens to true compassion and empathy. Must also recommend the following books for reading: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Children's Corner by McCrae, and Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck.

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Summary: A must read
Review: I never saw the movie with Gregory Peck and knew very little about the plot but I knew the book and movie have been regarded as classics. So I was expecting a great read and I wasn't disappointed. The old south's racial code of ethics, were written with a great deal of insight and I thought it was very interesting comparing it with our current day struggles with race relations. Needless to say we've come along way, thanks to people's attitudes like the character Atticus portrayed in this book. A must read.