book reviews to kill a mockingbird

Non-Fiction
Author’s Corner
Reader’s Corner
Writing Guide
Book Marketing Services
Write for us

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, 1961

Author: Harper Lee

Publisher: J. B. Lippincott & Co.

Genre: Bildungsroman, Historical Fiction

First Publication: 1960

Language: English

Major Characters: Scout Finch, Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, Arthur Radley, Mayella Ewell, Aunt Alexandra, Bob Ewell, Calpurnia (housekeeper), Tom Robinson, Miss Maudie Atkinson, Judge John Taylor, Dill Harris, Heck Tate, Stephanie Crawford

Setting Place: The fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression

Theme: Community and Convention, Female Sexuality and Friendship, Faith, Suffering, and God’s Will, Science and Superstition, Justice and Judgment

Narrator: First person

Book Summary: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes readers to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.

Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

With endless books and infinitely more to be written in the future, it is rare occasion that I take the time to reread a novel. And this time it’s To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a timeless classic. The first time I read this I was much, much younger and I remember loving it then. Over fifteen years later, it still held so much for me – wonderful language and characters that I never forgot about, profound themes explored , and relevancy even so many years later. Harper Lee is one of the best female authors.

The story in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is told from the point of view of Scout (Jean-Louise Finch), a six year old girl , through various events that happen in the town of Maycomb and in particular, the court case of Tom Robinson as her father Atticus Finch acts as Tom’s defence lawyer. Tom, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, has to endure multiple racial attacks. Atticus, widely described as the “most enduring fictional image of racial heroism”, describes the events to Scout so that she sees that all people should be treated equally.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

The narrator of this story is young tomboy Jean Louise (Scout), and her observations of Maycomb and people’s behavior are simple, honest, and visually very rich. I had no problem picturing Scout, Jem and Dill’s childish efforts to draw Boo Radley out of his house, or Calpurnia taking the kids to a colored church.

But when, after 128 pages, the court case begins and the plot really becomes intriguing, you immediately feel a rise in tension and excitement. Here Jem and Atticus become the main characters instead of Scout because they are more aware of the risks and importance of the case, although Scout’s moment with the mob was heartwrenchingly beautiful in it’s innocence.

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”

The last part of the book was less tense but never dull: it was important to show the aftermath and the effects of the case on different class – and races – of people to convey the impact of Atticus’ actions. Because back in 1935 and even now, in our current political situation, standing up for what’s right while the majority is against you, is an incredible brave and difficult thing to do.

One thing especially about this story that stood out to me, are the interesting gender roles in this book. We have Atticus who isn’t only presented as an amazing father but also as a great male character, because he’s patient, courteous, clever…but not traditionally masculine. In contrast with Bob Ewell, the main antagonist, Atticus isn’t physically strong, doesn’t use strong language, and hates violence (example: he keeps his shooting skills a secret from his children).

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

His sister, aunt Alexandra, is a very traditional female figure who wants Scout to behave more ‘lady like’, and because Scout doesn’t like her (at first), we as readers dislike her too. Acting as her opposites are Calpurnia and Miss Maudie, who neither show traditional feminine characteristics like politeness and charm, but both are presented as good and right.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a well-loved book for many good reasons, but I was very surprised by its diverse male and female characters, who make this story even richer than it already is.

Readers also enjoyed

An unfinished love story by doris kearns goodwin, all the worst humans by phil elwood, all i want is you by falon ballard, the queen by nick cutter, perfect fit by clare gilmore, popular stories, one day, life will change by saranya umakanthan, most famous fictional detectives from literature, the complete list of the booker prize winner books, book marketing and promotion services.

We provide genuine and custom-tailored book marketing services and promotion strategies. Our services include book reviews and social media promotion across all possible platforms, which will help you in showcasing the books, sample chapters, author interviews, posters, banners, and other promotional materials. In addition to book reviews and author interviews, we also provide social media campaigning in the form of contests, events, quizzes, and giveaways, as well as sharing graphics and book covers. Our book marketing services are very efficient, and we provide them at the most competitive price.

The Book Marketing and Promotion Plan that we provide covers a variety of different services. You have the option of either choosing the whole plan or customizing it by selecting and combining one or more of the services that we provide. The following is a list of the services that we provide for the marketing and promotion of books.

Book Reviews

Book Reviews have direct impact on readers while they are choosing their next book to read. When they are purchasing book, most readers prefer the books with good reviews. We’ll review your book and post reviews on Amazon, Flipkart, Goodreads and on our Blogs and social-media channels.

Author Interviews

We’ll interview the author and post those questions and answers on blogs and social medias so that readers get to know about author and his book. This will make author famous along with his book among the reading community.

Social Media Promotion

We have more than 170K followers on our social media channels who are interested in books and reading. We’ll create and publish different posts about book and author on our social media platforms.

Social Media Set up

Social Media is a significant tool to reaching out your readers and make them aware of your work. We’ll help you to setup and manage various social media profiles and fan pages for your book.

We’ll provide you our social media marketing guide, using which you may take advantage of these social media platforms to create and engage your fan base.

Website Creation

One of the most effective and long-term strategies to increase your book sales is to create your own website. Author website is must have tool for authors today and it doesn’t just help you to promote book but also helps you to engage with your potential readers. Our full featured author website, with blog, social media integration and other cool features, is the best marketing tool you can have. You can list each of your titles and link them to buy from various online stores.

Google / Facebook / Youtube Adverts

We can help you in creating ad on Google, Facebook and Youtube to reach your target audience using specific keywords and categories relevant to your book.

With our help you can narrow down your ads to the exact target audience for your book.

For more details mail us at [email protected]

The Bookish Elf is your single, trusted, daily source for all the news, ideas and richness of literary life. The Bookish Elf is a site you can rely on for book reviews, author interviews, book recommendations, and all things books. Contact us: [email protected]

Quick Links

To Kill a Mockingbird: Book Review, Summary & Analysis

Read our Book Reviews & Recommendations Guidelines

We independently review books we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Introduction: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Book Review, Summary & Analysis

Book: to kill a mockingbird.

Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Year: 1960
Binding: Paperback

book-review-to-kill-mockingbird-by-harper-lee

About the Author: Harper Lee

Excerpts from the original text

There is no need to say everything you know. That's not a lady-besides, people don't like people around them who know more than they do. That will annoy them. No matter how correct you are, you can't change these people. Unless they want to learn, there is no way. You either close your mouth or use their language. —— Quoted from page 153.

Short Comment

Book Summary

Book review & analysis.

"The life that has not read this book is really different from the life after reading it."

How to get along with others?
How to handle complex interpersonal relationships in an honest manner?
How to be a friendly but self-persistent person?

Main Storyline

How to get along with others?

The reason why we don't get along well with a certain person (or a certain type of person) is that we disagree with this person's behavior style, and thus produce an overall negation of this person.
If we always look at others from our own perspective, it is difficult to understand why others have such "weird" behavior;
"Standing from the point of view of others": It is not simply imagining yourself as the other party, and guessing based on your own experience. It is to "get into someone else's body and wander around", which means that you have to really understand the person's past background and experience. If you still use your own experience to judge what this person is doing, you will not be able to achieve true transposition.
If you have not been able to "get into someone else's body and wander around", at least, you should have such a belief in others: "After you finally understand them, you will find that most people are good people. ". This sentence is the last sentence that Father Atticus told Scott in the book. I think it is simply a well-known saying. Before we did not understand other people, at least we can first understand that "other people's actions are justified".

How to deal with dissent?

"Even if you didn't do those pranks, I would still let you read to Mrs. Du Boss to accompany her because I want you to take a good look at her. This is the bravest person I have ever seen. What did she explain? called the real courage. courage gas on hand is not a man with a gun. courage is when you embark on the field before you know you will be Tongzou meal, but you still on the field, and no matter what happens, you Persevere till the end. Most of the time you will fail, but sometimes, you will also succeed."

How to stick to yourself?

"Sometimes, I feel that I am a failure to be a parent, but I am everything they have. When Jim looks up to others, he looks up first. It’s me, I want to live upright so that I can face him calmly..."

"You may hear some bad comments in school, but please do one thing for me: raise your head and lower your fists. No matter what others say to you, don't get angry. Try to fight with your head. Don't because We had already failed for a hundred years before that, and though we had no reason to fight for victory."

"Be sensible about despicable things, and when things pass, you can look back with sympathy and understanding, and be grateful for not disappointing people at the time. When most people think they are right and you are wrong Of course, they have the right to think so, and their views are also entitled to be fully respected. But before they can get along with others, they must first get along. There is one thing that cannot follow the principle of conformity, and that is the conscience of people."

Self-photography in the mirror

"Uh, coming out of the court that night, Miss Gates-she walked in front of us when she descended the steps, you must have not seen her-she was talking to Miss Stephenson. I heard her say: It's time to teach them. They are becoming less and less aware of their identities. Will they think that they can marry us in the next step. Jim, a man who hates Hitler so much, is so vicious to the people of his hometown when he turns his face?"

Looking For More Books To Read?

Explore and find your next good read - Book Recommendations for specific interests.

Discover ratings, reviews, summaries, and genres.

Instant Any Book Summary

Explore and find your next Book Summary for specific interests.

Looking For Books Series To Read?

Explore and find Book Series for specific interests.

Instant Any Book

Explore and find your next Book for specific interests.

Discover personal development journey.

Free Printable Calendar

Manage Reading Notes, Schedule & Events

Manage your reading schedule, write notes, and track your reading progress by downloading this printable calendar.

Book Review & Summary: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

" War and Peace " is a vast epic centered on Napoleon's war with Russia. While it expresses Tolstoy's view that history is...

35 Easy to Read Books That Make You Smarter & More Intelligent

Reading books makes you smarter, and more intelligent . I have received many requests to recommend some of the best books that make you ...

41 Best Intellectual Books to Read Before You Die - Ultimate List 2024

In this article, we will discuss the most intellectually challenging books , and what are must-read intellectual books for growth that ev...

25 Best Books to Attract Women and Get the Girl

Today we will share the 25 Best Books to Attract Women and How to Get a Girl: The Ultimate Booklist for Attracting a Girl. Men like to impr...

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

by Harper Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 11, 1960

A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.

Pub Date: July 11, 1960

ISBN: 0060935464

Page Count: 323

Publisher: Lippincott

Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1960

GENERAL FICTION

Share your opinion of this book

More by Harper Lee

BOOK REVIEW

by Harper Lee

More About This Book

The Snowy Day Is NYC Library’s Most Popular Book

SEEN & HEARD

ALA Releases List of 2020’s Most Challenged Books

THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2004

Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.

Life lessons.

Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.

Pub Date: July 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-345-46750-7

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004

More by Kristin Hannah

by Kristin Hannah

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2015

Kirkus Prize winner

National Book Award Finalist

A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

More by Hanya Yanagihara

by Hanya Yanagihara

PERSPECTIVES

Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.