Books : To Kill a Mockingbird

Rating: - No matter what they say...you have to read this book!
Most of the time, I get really pumped about reading books. And most of the time, I get so frustrated and don't finish them. That, however, was not the case with this book!!
Usually, my decription of "great" literature means a bunch of long words scrambled together into a sentence leaving the reader to meditate a REALLY long time and figure out what it means. I was SO excited to find out that this book wasn't like that!! This book was so much fun to read because I didn't have to stop and think every two seconds!
The characters in the book are so...real. Atticus reminds me SO much of my Dad in the sense that he will think things out, and when threatened, he doesn't get all worked up. I actually got a kick out of the story being from Scout's point of view. The world is a completely different place in an eight-year-olds eyes, and that's what made so much of a difference in the way this book was written. So, I say, give it a read!! It's worth the time.

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Rating: - read this book if you haven't
I didn't get to read this in highschool because we moved around so much. I waited until just recently to read it. I think that aside from some of the obvious themes in it, it is a superbly constructed novel and deserves to be called "a masterpiece of American literature." Atticus, Scout, Jem, & Calpurnia will live on in my mind just as vividly as some of the people from my own past. It isn't often that I put a book down and feel this way. I laughed and cried while reading this book. Don't even question whether you should read this if you haven't, just get it and read it. (As an aside, I can't help but wonder if some of the richness of this novel is lost on some highschool students; I'm actually glad I waited to read it until I was older although some of the lessons of the book are good for young minds, to be sure.)

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Rating: - An Essential American Classic
Like the prose and symphonies of centuries past that yet today evoke memory and emotion, To Kill A Mockingbird epitomizes the definition of "classic".

It is a story of the most important time in people's lives; when morals are made, when lessons are learned, when lasting friendships are born and time takes forever and then is forever gone--childhood.

This thoroughly heartwarming tale chronicles the struggles, strengths and weaknesses of Atticus Finch, small town Alabama lawyer and widowed father of two in the 1930's. It delves into the spiritual and moral dilemmas aroused by fear and prejudice. As he defends a young black man accused of a crime against a white woman, it becomes as much a trial of fatherhood as a test of justice.

The story is seen through the eyes of a 9 year old girl, Scout. She and her older brother, Jem, have critical issues of their own to deal with. Scout wants to get out of having to go to school, so she takes up cussing, hoping her father will assume she's learned these new words at school and immediately withdraw her. Another time, Scout and Jem build a snowman that looks exactly like their next door neighbor. When the offended neighbor complains, Atticus tells them that a snowman is not supposed to be a caricature of a real person. Jem replies, "It's not a caricature. It looks exactly like him".

Scout, Jem, and Atticus develop strong bonds they must cling to as they juggle a tedious balance between the ideologies of chidhood, fatherhood and the temperamental mores of a tumultuous place and time.

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Rating: - Deserves 1/0 Stars
Whenever you think of heroes, most of the time you think of superhero tiers like Superman, Spiderman, and Batman; I think of Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Although he possesses no superhuman power or abilities, he possesses characteristics few others have. Not only intelligent, respected, and calm, but he also is humble and just.

Lee sets her story during the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama from the perspective of young Scout recounting her story of growing up with her brother Jem and their father Atticus. Over the course of the novel, Scout develops from a naïve innocent girl to maturity and acknowledging the evil in the world.

Deeply rooted within this town is severe racial prejudice. Atticus exemplifies his justice by defending a black man, Tom Robinson, in a lopsided courtcase about raping a white woman. Subject to the town's attacks, Atticus persistently determines to defend his client, and ultimately proves Robinson innocent. Yet the biased jury thinks otherwise and still convicts him, despite the indisputable evidence.

The mockingbird signifies the innocent in the story, which in the end is tarnished by humanity's evil. The two most prominent representations are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Boo Radley is distorted by society to nothing but a myth, but as the story progresses, the children discover more about him. Culminating down to the conclusion where Scout finally meets him in person, she realizes him to be truly good and acknowledges him as a human, quelling all theories she had of him before. Tom Robinson, on the other hand, is ruined by the white jury, despite Atticus' sufficient proof to show his innocence. Convicted and sentenced to jail, he attempts to make his escape and is shot and killed in the process, capturing the book's title.

The story is not too difficult of a read, but the meaning is extremely insightful, containing profound commentary about good and evil, bravery, and innocence. In essence, I have never read a book as good as this one. It should be on everyone's top 1 list of greatest books of all time. Period. If it is not, something is seriously wrong. You better be changing it.

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Rating: - This Book Will Stay With You For The Rest of Your Life
I read this book in school not that long ago. That was the THIRD time reading that book. I can't get enough of it. It is an amazing story taking place in 1930's Alabama. The story is seen through the eyes of a 5 year old girl who's father, Atticus Finch (one of the most well known characters in literature), is defending a black man. This book is all about the way humans react to one another and how cruel people once were, but there were the seldom few like Atticus Finch that did care and tried to make a point to those who did not. There's so much to say about this magnificent book that can't be put in one review. I recommend it to everyone from 12-any age because this story is a life lesson that everyone must learn. it is a book that will stay with you the rest of your life.