Rating: 
Summary: The Road To Understanding
Review: Some people say that the impact of a book is never fully realised until some time after the reading. Nowhere is this truer than within Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. I first read this book at University some years ago, and to be honest it had a relatively moderate effect on me. But in the years that have followed, the messages that are dictated have continued to make more sense to me, and have in many respects never left me. They repeatedly act as guiding philosophies to the way I try to live my life as an adult. The book tells the story of racial tensions in the 1930s in a small town in the American South. Although the 1930s were some seventy years following the abolition of slavery in America, at this time, in many respects whites still viewed blacks as ill educated, immoral and childlike. To add fuel to this fire, the 1930s were also the defining years of the great depression, a social climate that served to intensify racial tensions, as there was much competition for work. Within this intense social climate the novel dictates a profound insight into understanding racism, and also advises a means to remove this ignorance. It's philosophy simply dictates that racism is the result of fear of the unfamiliar, and that it is this fear that motivates people to categorize individuals as part of a negative group, as a means to control this fear. The novel then decrees that in order to remove prejudice people must have an understanding of others as individuals by attempting to understand their perspective as if living their lives. This would then eliminate fear and stereotyping and ultimately reverse the path that leads to racism. This philosophy is offered to the reader through the objective narrative voice of a child and the lessons she learns through her interaction with various characters within the narrative. Her father is her biggest influence, a white lawyer representing a falsely accused black man at trial, against the views of his peers in their town. As such, as she is lead to an understanding of the novels hypothesis for the elimination of prejudice, so are we the reader. As the novel was written in the 1950s at a time when Southern blacks were demanding more civil rights, such as the right to vote and the complete abolishment of segregation laws, the novel also had resonance in its year of publication. Perhaps Harper Lee saw this has an opportunity to educate the 1950s white community on issues of race and prejudice, at this critical political point. However, I believe the novel goes even further than this and makes points that can educate people from any background anywhere in the world. If people could see others points of view by standing in their shoes and seeing them as individuals instead of part of a larger group, then not only would prejudice cease, but human understanding and interaction as a whole would benefit. This is definitely one of those life-changing books that you will come back to time and time again in your life, always reading it from a new perspective.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst books ever called a "Classic"
Review: "To Kill a Mockingbird" was without a doubt one of the worst novels I've ever read. There's about 50 pages of good writing, and the rest is garbage. The book is riddled with strange, boring sub-plots that lead nowhere. Its just wasted time.
Rating:
Summary: to kill a mockingbird is a must read!
Review: My mother first handed me this book when I was thirteen years old, and one day I was bored enough to give it a try, and I am so glad I did. It was such a moving, realistic story of a bright young girl's interesting adventure. Once I started reading this I couldn't put it down. It is beautifully crafted and emotionally deep. I give it a perfect 10!
Rating:
Summary: An American Treasure
Review: A grown Jean Louise (Scout) Finch narrates the tale of her youth in Maycomb, Alabama, wherein her father Atticus defends a black man against a completely spurious rape charge cooked up by a poor white drunkard and his daughter. No, the issues are far from comfortable. The racism is stark, but the heroism is stolid. Through Scouts eyes we see a world of many colors and textures, but one must read the book to appreciate even a few of them. More than four decades since it was first published, Harper Lees book is more than just a tale of courage in the face of racial bigotry in the mid-twentieth century rural South, it is more than a tale of a girls love for her father, it is more than a novel. Without hyperbole, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is truly an American treasure. If you have never taken or been given the opportunity to read this book even if you dont read that many novels you owe it to yourself to transcend all the politics and attain the better understanding of humanity that Harper Lee can help you discover. After all, she has helped so many millions of schoolchildren do just that in the past two or three generations. Neither does she do it with the preachy tone I found myself falling into for this review! Whatever your age or color, enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Finest American Books
Review: This is one of the most popular books of the 20th century: it is in the top three. And with good reason, it is an excellent story, but it is a bit slow-paced. This book describes the trials and tribulations of a young Southern girl and her family during the middle of the century. It is told from the point of view of Jean Finch, whose father Atticus is representing a black man in a rape case. She is threatened and called names, just to name a few, but she never loses hope. It is one of those books that everybody can take something out of, it is an inspiring and invigorating book.
Rating: 
Summary: pretty good
Review: I thought this was a pretty good book. However, I was forced to read it for school, which I am sure took away from the true excellence of the book. Even though it was mandantory to read this book, I still enjoyed it, and might even read it again some day. So, if you are teenager and have not had to read it in school yet... read it now, while you can still fully enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: One of my best books ever read!
Review: Ok, I had to read this book for my school.Most of the time I get bored with the books I read in school. But when I started reading this, I was really amazed it turned out to be a good book. This is the best book I ever read for school. I just love it :) If anyone is reading this, please go get the book. It's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Unintential Insight?
Review: I cannot deny that this novel pulled me into the story and maintained my interest. The novel, chock full of human insight, doesn't opt for lies or platitudes. But some schools teach this work as a profound statement on race in the USA. While this may be true, the father's representation of a falsely accused black man despite threats from the white community, while admirable, isn't the key. The key to understanding race in the USA lies in the fact that the author does not imagine in detail the lives of that black man and his family, the real tragedy, the real and profundly distrubing story that this book only mentions in passing. The child narrator loves her father for his principles, but does not begin the fathom the situation of the black man's family. By all means read this book, because it shows that even many decent and well meaning whites do not really understand the lives of American blacks. And read it with a reading group and ponder whether this was the author's intention, or a limitation of her own understanding merely reflected in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Big Events That Rock the Boat of A Small Town
Review: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is entertaining and inspiring. The narrator, Scout, is the daughter of a proud lawyer who's newest case is to defend a gentle black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of a crime he didn't commmit. Although I did find it to be a little slow at times, this novel definitely taught me a lesson. Mockingbirds represent the childhood innocence that we are all born with, and "to shoot a mockingbird is a sin, because they don't dig up our gardens or bother us... just sing their hearts out for us." A simple, bittersweet story that is honest and truthful.
Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: This is a classic story of the south. There are the racists, the white , and the few noble citizens in this impressive novel. Not only does Lee tell a very good story about prejudice against blacks, but the part of the story about prejudice towards Boo Radley is a wonderful parallel. I first read this book when I was 11 or 12, and it has been one of my favorites ever since. The movie with Gregory Peck is as good if not better. If you like the book, be sure to watch it.
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