To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book that is usually read by students in grade school or high school or perhaps both. I, however, have not read it until recently. It was never assigned to me in school and when I did try to read it in the seventh grade I wasn’t too interested in it. But since my taste in reading has changed a little since the seventh grade, I decided to give it another try.

Scout and Jem are children growing up in the South. Their father, Atticus, is a lawyer and has been assigned to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. Taking the case, Atticus is ridiculed by his friends and neighbors, while his children don’t see anything wrong with it. Looking at the different characters, readers are able to see different views: from the innocent eyes of children and the eyes of adults who think they know better. After finishing it, I could see why it’s considered a masterpiece. The book is not too complicated, so it’s a good read for any age, and it touches on topics that any reader can relate to, whether directly or indirectly. To quote the back of the copy of my book:

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill a Mockingbird takes reader to the roots of human behavior – to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos.

I would highly recommend this as a book for families to read together and discuss because I think it is an important piece of literature that will expand the minds of young readers.

Grade: A