Book Review

To kill a mockingbird is a iconic book of the 20th century that teaches us lessons on racism, acceptance and understanding. To kill a mockingbird written by Harper Lee is about a lawyer Atticus Finch defending a man Tom Robinson the importance of this is that Atticus is white were as Tom is black. However the book is also about Atticus's two children Jean-Louise (scout) and Jem learning and understanding the adult world and all of its vices such as; greed, racism, sexism, and conflict. It is a must have for any collector and a must read for anyone who desires a good book and this is because of the lessons that are taught throughout the book, this is what truly makes it such an award winning good read it challenges what the norm was when this book was published and its a strong point in the fight with racism and sexism.

The book starts off slow but quickly builds pace as we learn more about the characters and the case involving Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell. We also learn that Atticus takes the case to defend Mr. Robinson and it is later revealed that he did this because he believes that me must protect the innocent. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee has 3 main lessons that can be taken from this book, the coexistence of good and evil is very real, Not everything or everyone is what they appear to be and finally everyone is equal even if others can’t see.

The coexistence of good and evil is very apparent throughout the entire book as you read it starting almost instantly when Scout tries to kill a bug and Jem stops her, in this case Jem is good and Scout is “Evil”” for wanting to kill the bug. Atticus and the neighbours teach Jem and Scout the difference between good and evil as the story progresses Ms Maudie tells Scout that she believes Boo Radley is not an evil man and that he was abused by his now dead father. Jem and scout both learn from Atticus that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird for they do nothing but sing their heart out for us this is a metaphor to say it is evil to kill or harm anyone who is good in just because they do nothing but try and protect us. Atticus teaches Scout that you can never truly judge a man or woman until you've walked in their skin then you can see if they truly are what you think they are. Harper lee does an excellent job of showing the coexistence of good and evil in all it’s forms, from simply killing a bug, to falsely accusing a black man of trying to rape you, to shooting a sick dog and even childish disturbing the next door neighbour.

Next, Harper plays on the don’t judge a book by the cover in a couple of humors and sobering ways, Dill being accused of being a snake when he was hiding under Scout’s bed, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond being a drunk when in reality he just pretends to get some peace and quiet. Scout and Jem and the reader even are taught that just because someone says that something or another person are this way doesn't mean anything because they could infact be the nicest person you’ll ever meet, the common disbelief that Boo Radley is mad as a hatter and would harm anyone is actual false proven many times from when he leaves little bits of items for Scout and Jem to when he covers Scout in a warm blanket when she is watching Ms. Maudies house burn down, and finally when Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem Boo stops him, finally proving that he is a loving and caring man this of course is later revealed when Scout truly steps into Boo’s skin by standing on his porch and recounting many of the things that boo would have seen if he stood there too, and she finally understands that he is a good person. This lessons is pivotal in the book it reveals that we can’t take face value to any of the characters that Harper Lee wrote because they could be someone else entirely this alone forces the reader to finish the book to understand the story.

Everyone is of equal value, this lesson is forthright in To kill a Mockingbird, Atticus a white man defends Tom Robinson a black man even though his skin colour is different people insult Atticus and his family for this but he instructs his kids to not react to the things that they say insults such as “Nigger lover” are being thrown at both Jem and Scout because their father is doing the right thing. Atticus’ sister Aunt Alexandra, doesn’t see this however and almost faints when she learns that Jem and Scout when to a black church, she scolds them and Atticus stops her telling her that he is delighted they went and is okay with it. Alexandra tries to remove Calpurnia at the children s protest and once again Atticus’ rushes in to prove that everyone is equal and needed. By reading this book the author would pass onto you the reader a changed view on people and forces you as I did to review everyones personal worth.

I strongly recommend this book as the editor of this blog to all those who haven’t read it, the book will change your perspective on at least your own personal life if not the world. I know that for me personally the book was an eye opener into the world of racism, and as for the rest of my group they all loved it and would probably read it again. Please if you take the time to read this blog take the time to read the book or even at the least watch the movie!