Despite being the only book published by Lee (Go Set a Watchman was deemed by many to be an early draft rather than a sequel), To Kill a Mockingbird has firmly retained its status as a literary classic since its publishment in 1960. It’s a shame I never read it in school, and I felt it was time I gave it a go.

The novel is told from the perspective of Scout Finch, a young tomboy living in Alabama in the 1930s. Her father, Atticus, is a respected lawyer in town tasked by the judge to defend a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.

Atticus is a role model for parenthood: a man of honour and integrity, resilient and steadfast with a solid moral compass, strict but kind. His love for his children permeates the novel, and his wisdom imparted still resonates with many today.

Patience is critical as the book is a slow burn that does not rely on significant plot twists – Lee takes her time in crafting Alabama life, with the book’s plot and characters loosely based on her own experience of growing up in Alabama, and the trials of the Scottsboro Boys, now regarded as miscarriages of justice with all-white juries.

The chances of a black man receiving a fair trial in the South in the 1930s were shockingly low, and it’s tragic to realise that racial discrimination is still an issue decades later. Yet, in the wake of Black Lives Matter and Stop AAPI Hate movements, communities have been forced to broach topics once considered taboo. It’s a stark reminder that the moral thing to do is not always easy, popular or safe. Prejudice taints so quickly – it takes courage to confront the truth, however ugly it may be, and even more resolve to shift our perspective and set things right.

Growing up, I never quite understood the title: what do mockingbirds have to do with the story, and who on earth would want to kill one? Mockingbirds have very little literal connection to the plot but symbolise innocence. Therefore, to kill a mockingbird is to destroy the innocence we all desperately crave for. Interestingly enough, the last name of Atticus’s family is Finch, another small songbird like a mockingbird.

For extended reading, I would suggest Scout, Atticus, and Boo. Published upon the fiftieth anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s a compilation of celebrity interviews on their impressions of the original classic and its impact on their lives.

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