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لا تقتل عصفورا ساخرا

(To Kill a Mockingbird)

Harper Lee,

توفيق الأسدي (Translator)

4.28 · Rating details · 4,700,947 ratings · 94,116 reviews

“لا تقتل عصفورًا ساخرًا” رواية هاربر لي الوحيدة في مشوارها الأدبي الذي بدأ عام 1959، وكانت كافية لتنال جائزة الميدالية الرئاسية للحرية عام 2007 عن مجمل مسيرتها الأدبية.

كما أن هذه الرواية حازت على جائزة بوليتزر عام 1961، لأنها عدت إحدى علامات الأدب الأمريكي الحديث.. تحولت الرواية إلى فيلم من أهم الأفلام العالمية، حصل على أوسكار أحسن سيناريو مأخوذ عن عمل أدبي وأحسن ممثل دور ...more

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Paperback, 1st Edition, 495 pages

Published January 1st 2015 by التكوين للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع (first published July 11th 1960)

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Mar 18, 2010 Stephen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-americas, 6-star-books, all-time-favorites, easton-press, 1954-1969, life-changers, literature, classics, good-guys

6.0 stars. I know I am risking a serious “FILM AT 11” moment and a club upside the head from Captain Obvious for voicing this, but nabbit dog I still think it needs to be said…TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is one of the BEST and MOST IMPORTANT American novels ever written. Okay, I said it, and I will wait patiently while you get your DUHs and DERs out of the way and hang your “no shit” signs outside for Inspector Holmes.

Okay, now given the gruntload of reviews/ratings this book has I know I’m not th ...more

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Apr 08, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Looking for a new book but don't want to commit? Check out my latest BooktTube Video: One & Done - all about fabulous standalones!

Now that you know this one made the list - check out the video to see the rest!

The Written Review :

If you haven't read this as an adult - pick it up today

I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.

I (along with millions of other kids) first read this in grade-school. And I (along with those millions) didn't really get the point.

I remember ...more

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Mar 11, 2008 Kim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mmix, simpatico, cultured

Why is it when I pick up To Kill A Mockingbird , I am instantly visited by a sensory memory: I’m walking home, leaves litter the ground, crunching under my feet. I smell the smoke of fireplaces and think about hot cider and the wind catches and my breath is taken from me and I bundle my coat tighter against me and lift my head to the sky, no clouds, just a stunning blue that hurts my eyes, another deep breath and I have this feeling that all is okay.

Why? Why this memory? I mean, this takes pla Why is it when I pick up To Kill A Mockingbird , I am instantly visited by a sensory memory: I’m walking home, leaves litter the ground, crunching under my feet. I smell the smoke of fireplaces and think about hot cider and the wind catches and my breath is taken from me and I bundle my coat tighter against me and lift my head to the sky, no clouds, just a stunning blue that hurts my eyes, another deep breath and I have this feeling that all is okay.

Why? Why this memory? I mean, this takes place in Alabama and mostly in the summer, well there is that one climatic scene on Halloween, but I bet it’s still hot enough to melt the balls off a brass monkey.

It must be the school thing, my daughter just finished reading it, prompting me to give it another go, to fall back into Scout’s world and pretend to be eight and let life simply be.

How is that? How can life for Scout be simple? I mean, she lives in the south, during the depression, she has to deal with ignorant schoolteachers and town folk, her ideas of what is right, what is what it should be are laughed at by her schoolmates… man, and I thought my childhood was rough.

Still, she lives in this idyllic town, I mean, except for the racism and the creepy neighbors and the whole fact that it’s, you know, the south…(forgive me… I’m not immune to the downfalls of the north, I mean, we had witches and well, Ted Bundy was born here…) But, there’s this sense of childlike innocence to this book that makes me believe in humanity… even in the throes of evil. What am I saying here? I guess, that this is a good pick me up.

What I also get from this book is that I have severe Daddy issues. I consume Atticus Finch in unnatural ways. He is the ultimate father; he has the perfect response for every situation. He is the transcendent character. My heart melts at each sentence devoted to him and I just about crumble during the courtroom scene.

Am I gushing? I sure am. I was raised by a man who thought that Budweiser can artwork was the epitome of culture. That drinking a 6-pack was the breakfast of champions. That college was for sissies. He could throw out a racial slur without a single thought, care or worry to who was around. I won't even get into the debates/rantings of a 16 yr old me vs a 42 yr old him... What a role model.

So, I thank Harper Lee for giving me Atticus. I can cuddle up with my cider and pretend that I’m basking in his light. I can write this blurb that makes sense to maybe a handful but that is okay, I am approved of and all is good.
...more

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Jun 28, 2009 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: academic, fiction, novels, classics, 20th-century, historical

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The story is told by the six-year-old Jean Louise Finch.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The story is told by the six-year-old Jean Louise Finch.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و هشتم از ماه آوریل سال 1994میلادی

عنوان: کشتن مرغ مینا؛ نویسنده: هارپر لی؛ مترجم: فخرالدین میررمضانی، تهران، توس، 1370، در 378ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، امیرکبیر، 1390، در 414ص؛ شابک 9789640013816؛ چاپ دیگر: تهران، علمی فرهنگی، 1393، در 378ص؛ شابک 978600121573؛

مترجم دیگر: بابک تیموریان، تهران، ناس، 1390، در 504ص، شابک 9789649917733؛

مترجم دیگر: روشنک ضرابی، تهران، انتشارات میلکان، 1394، در 360ص، شابک 9786007845196؛

باور کردنی نیست، تا روز بیست و هشتم ماه دسامبر سال 2015میلادی یا همان روز هشتم دیماه 1395هجری خورشیدی، تنها در گودریدز تعداد 3,128,155؛ نفر همین کتاب را ستاره باران کرده اند؛ در تاریخ ششم ماه فوریه سال 2020میلادی برابر با روز هفدهم ماه بهمن سال 1398هجری خورشیدی این تعداد به 4,184,604؛ مورد رسیده است؛ «مرغ مینا» پرنده‌ ای کوچک است که توانایی تقلید صدا دارد، «مرغ مقلد» هم، صدای پرندگان دیگر را تقلید میکند؛

کتاب «کشتن مرغ مقلد»، نوشته ی بانوی روانشاد «هارپر لی»، که با عنوان: «کشتن مرغ مینا» در ایران منتشر شده، نخستین بار در جهان در سال 1960میلادی، به نشر سپرده شد، یکسال بعد، جایزه ی پولیتزر را برد.؛ در سال 1962میلادی نیز، «رابرت مولیگان»، فیلمی با اقتباس از متن همین کتاب ساختند، و در همان سال، ایشان هم توانستند، سه جایزه اسکار را، از آن خود کنند؛ فیلم جایزه ی بهترین بازیگر مرد را برای «گریگوری پک٬»، و جایزه های بهترین کارگردان هنری، و بهترین فیلمنامه ی اقتباس شده را، از آن خود کرد.؛ بد نیست بیفزایم، خانم «هارپر لی»، تا یک دو سال مانده به پایان عمر پرفروغ خویش، تنها همین رمان را نوشته بودند، براساس واگویه ای از ایشان، بنوشته اند «در عصری که همه ی مردمان «لپ ‌تاپ»، «موبایل»، و «آی پاد» دارند، اما ذهنهاشان، همچون یک اتاق، خالیه؛ ترجیح میدهم، وقتم را با کتابهایم سپری کنم.» پایان نقل

ایشان در سال 2007میلادی نیز، نشان آزادی را، از دست رئیس جمهور آمریکا، دریافت کردند.؛ نقل از متن کتاب: (حواستون باشه کشتن مرغ مقلد گناهه.؛ این را برای نخستین بار از «اتیکاس» شنیدم، که انجام کاری گناه داره، واسه همین هم به خانوم «مودی» گفتم.؛ اون هم جواب داد پدرت درست گفته، مرغ مقلد، هیچکار نمیکنه، تنها برایمان میخونه، تا لذت ببریم.؛ با تمام وجودش هم برامون میخونه؛ واسه همین هم کشتنش گناه داره.) پایان نقل

هشدار: اگر کتاب را میخواهید بخوانید، از خوانش چکیده، پرهیز کنید

چکیده: «اسکات» و «جیم»، خواهر و برادر کوچکی هستند، که مادرشان سالها پیش از درب این سرای فانی بگذشته است، آن دو با پدرشان «اتیکاش»، در شهر کوچکی زندگی میکنند. پدر وکیل شهر هستند، و برای انسانیت، و باورهای مردمان احترام میگذارند. ایشان هماره کوشش میکند تا فرزندانش را انسان بار آورد؛ داستان از زبان کودک، و به زیبایی روایت میشود، قرار است یک سیاهپوست به نام: «تام»، به جرم تجاوز به دختری سفیدپوست، محاکمه شود، در حالیکه معلوم است، «تام» آن کار را نکرده است، و «آتیکوس» میخواهد، از ایشان دفاع کند، مردمان شهر، بر علیه «آتیکوس» هستند، و ایشان به عنوان یک پدر، میخواهند فرزندانش، در شرایط دشوار درست رفتار کنند؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 18/05/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Apr 03, 2016 Brina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, pulitzer-winner, 500-great-books-women, rereads, all-time-favorites, race-relations, southern

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. As women’s history month is upon us (2019), I have kept revising my monthly lineup to feature books by remarkable women across the spectrum. Yet, none of these nonfiction books pay homage to the writers of the books themselves. Even with memoirs, the prose focuses on the author’s achievements in her chosen field. Last week a goodreads friend and I paid tribute to women 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. As women’s history month is upon us (2019), I have kept revising my monthly lineup to feature books by remarkable women across the spectrum. Yet, none of these nonfiction books pay homage to the writers of the books themselves. Even with memoirs, the prose focuses on the author’s achievements in her chosen field. Last week a goodreads friend and I paid tribute to women authors in a daily literary journal. In one of my friend’s posts, she pointed out that as recently as 1960, the author of the most endearing of American novels had to use a masculinized version of her name in fear of not being published. Nelle Harper Lee of Monroeville, Alabama published To Kill a Mockingbird under her middle name, so only those well read readers are aware of the author’s full name. It is in this regard, that I included Pulitzer and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Nelle Harper Lee in my Women’s History month lineup. It is as auspicious of a time as any to reread one of America’s greatest novels.

When I was in ninth grade English class, I read Harper Lee’s novel for the first time. At age fourteen I was hardly a polished writer and struggled with many of the assignments. Yet, I do remember that the top essay in the class focused on the overarching theme of courage and how Harper Lee showed how each of the characters, major and minor, embodied this trait in the trying times associated with the novel. It was courageous of a southern woman to write a novel with this subject matter prior to the passage of the civil rights act. It is of little wonder to me looking back now that she chose to publish under a gender neutral name. Perhaps, she feared a lynch mob or being outcast in her home town. It was a trying time as the federal government asserted itself against states still grieving from the war between the states and holding out as the last bulwarks of white superiority. Harper Lee exhibited as much courage as the characters in her novel, and rightfully was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her work. As such, being courageous starts from the top and works its way down to each and every character of this timeless work.

In 1930s rural Maycomb, Alabama people were pretty much set in their way of life. Town folk had received an education and worked as lawyers, doctors, bankers, and businessmen. The country folk may or may not have received an education because they had to work the fields and many were illiterate. Even the majority of those educated white folk still saw themselves as superior to blacks, and few, if any, had the audacity to take a black’s word over a white’s even if it were the correct moral thing to do. Yet, the crux of Lee’s novel is a court case threatening to disrupt this way of life, having the town divide along both racial and moral lines, and having each character step into others’ shoes and view the world from another’s perspective. Maycomb at the time embodied many rural American cities, isolated from progress as town set in its ways with few people who were willing to see the world from another perspective. One man was, however, a lawyer named Atticus Finch who is among the most revered fictional characters ever created. Even though this court case should not have been his, his superiors selected Atticus to counsel a black defendant because they realized that he was the one man in Maycomb who had both the ability to empathize and the courage to do so. His neighbor Mrs Maudie Atkinson noted that Atticus was the same man in the court house as he was at home and had nothing to fear. A widower, he instilled these values to his children Jeremy Atticus (Jem) and Jean Louise (Scout) from a young age, passing a strong moral compass onto his children.

In addition to critiquing southern race relations, Lee’s novel has endeared itself to children with the legend of Boo Radley. From the time they were young, Jem, Scout, and their summer friend Dill had courage to go to the Radley house trying to get Boo to come out even though all the other kids said the house was spooked. Atticus told them to put a halt to these childish games and explained Boo Radley’s background to them. The town claimed that Boo Radley was a ghost, but perhaps the reason he did not leave the house is because he did not want to. As the children grew older, Atticus warned them that there would be darker times ahead and they would have to be courageous in the face of what people said to them behind their backs. From the time Scout began school in first grade, she inhibited Atticus’ ability to stand up for what was right. Her teacher Miss Robinson was new to Maycomb and did not understand people’s ways. Scout explained about the Cunninghams, the Ewells, as well as other families at a personal cost to herself. As Scout grew older and was able to step into other people’s’ shoes more, she grew to understand differences between folks; however, she and Jem realized that differences did not make the world distinctly black and white or right and wrong. During an era when children were looked upon as unintelligent, Scout and Jem were wise beyond their years and following in their father’s footsteps.

Harper Lee created strong archetypal characters and had each embody their own courage. Each’s courage allowed Atticus to teach his children a life lesson that would endure for the rest of their lives. The family’s neighbor Mrs. Henry Lafayette DuBose demonstrates courage as she battles a final illness. Third grade teacher Mrs. Gates exhibits courage as she teaches Scout’s class about the rise of Nazism in Germany and th encourages her students to think for themselves about the differences between prejudices at home and abroad. The African American characters all demonstrate strong courage as well. The Finch’s housekeeper Calpurnia is a bridge between the white and black communities of Maycomb and does not hesitate to teach Scout and Jem life lessons as they arise. The Reverend Sykes welcomes Jem and Scout into his congregation as though they were his own and invites them to sit in the colored balcony at time when segregation was still the law. He risked a lynching and knew that the Finch family could possibly be labeled as negro lovers, yet Reverend Sykes played a small role in proving that one’s skin color should not determine whether someone is right or wrong. Of course, as part of the overarching story line, Boo Radley can be viewed as the most courageous character of them all. It is through the courage of an author to create characters who will stand up for what is morally right at a large cost to themselves that she created an award winning novel that was ahead of its time for its era. It is little wonder that the courage of these fictional characters has made the novel as beloved as it is today.

I believe that the courage exhibited by all these characters has made the town of Maycomb, Alabama stand the test of time and remain the timeless classic that it is. Most people can relate to those who have the courage to stand up for what they think is right or to fight against those tougher than them. This character trait has endeared the Finch family to millions of readers and will continue to do so for generations to come. Whenever a person asks what book would you give as a gift or what is the perfect book, To Kill a Mockingbird is my first choice. I find that it is perfect for any time but most appropriate in spring as in addition to courage there is an underlying theme of hope. Harper Lee won the Pulitzer for this timeless classic, and it also won first place in the Great American Read as America’s best novel. Thus I can think of no better way to honor women’s history month than with a timeless book that has and will continue to capture the hearts and minds of all of its readers.

5+ stars/ all-time favorites shelf ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 may ➹ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: disappointing, read-2018, school, pov-female, library, historical-fiction, boring, pov-1st, 2-star, unpopular-opinion

I had a much longer review written for this book, but the comments were sadly annoying me. so I’ll just make my opinions clear in two sentences, because these are really the only thoughts about the book that matter to me:

I was extremely bored by the majority of this novel and thus I did not enjoy it very much (and no, I will not reread it because I do not care). most importantly, though, I don’t believe a white savior narrative like this one is a story that should be so heavily defended by white ...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Lit Bug rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: american, fiction, favorites, owned, novels, literary

In the course of 5 years, I’ve read this book nearly 17 times. That adds up to reading it once at least every 4 months, on an average. And I still return to this book like a bark seeking a lighthouse in the dark. When I first finished it, I was so overwhelmed by how much I related to it, I read it nearly 8 times before the year ended. By now I’ve memorized almost every scene and I still can’t shake off the feeling that I still have to learn a lot from it. Over the years, I realize that without k ...more

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Dec 25, 2014 Claudia Ramírez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

So... I don't really know what to say.

I think I loved this book, but for a reason beyond my understanding, it never hooked me, and it took me AGES to finish it! Some chapters (especially at the beginning) were tedious and hard for me to get through them... but then there were some chapters that I devoured (the whole Tom Robinson trial and the last ones).

I definitely learned a lesson or two from this book. Atticus is my new role model, he is really incredible. I also love Scout and Jem, those kid ...more

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Nov 13, 2007 Houston rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”(p. 20)

I love this book and this idea of reading being like breathing. As Scout did, I read early too, and often. Every night before bed I would read and still do. I saw a Twilight Zone Episode once where the main character loved to read and only wanted to be left alone to do so. After falling asleep in the vault of the bank where he worked, he awoke to a post-disaster world where only he was left. He busily gat “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”(p. 20)

I love this book and this idea of reading being like breathing. As Scout did, I read early too, and often. Every night before bed I would read and still do. I saw a Twilight Zone Episode once where the main character loved to read and only wanted to be left alone to do so. After falling asleep in the vault of the bank where he worked, he awoke to a post-disaster world where only he was left. He busily gathered together all the books he wanted to read, all organized and stacked up. Just as he chose one to start with, his glasses fell and he stepped on them trying to find them. It was terrible and I remember feeling horrified that this man would never get to read again! Such a thought had never occurred to me. This semester I had to get glasses myself after suffering migraines from reading. I was so nervous at the eye doctor because the thought of not being able to read was too much for me. Of course, I only needed readers, but when I ran across this quote, I thought about how much like breathing reading is for me.

“Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” (p. 87)

Never say die! Fight the good fight no matter what! I love the anti-defeatist message in this quote. Even though Atticus knows the deck is stacked against him, he tries anyway. He understands that sometimes you have to fight the un-winnable fight just for the chance that you might win. It makes me think that what he’s trying to teach his children is never to give up just because things look dim.

“...before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.” (p. 120)

As Shakespeare said, “To thine own self be true.” That’s really all that matters. At the end of the day, when you lay down, you have to know that you did the right things, acted the right way and stayed true to yourself. Again, Atticus understands that the town is talking; he has to explain to his kids why he continues against the tide of popular thought. He sums it up so well here.

“We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”(p. 320)

I love the sad way this quote sounds. It is clearly the thoughts of a child, for hadn’t Scout just given Boo his dignity as they were walking home? Hadn’t she and Jem given him children to care for and watch over? But she knows too, even from her child’s perspective, that they could never give him anything close to what he had given them—their lives. It just sounds so beautifully sad.

Works Cited
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Print.
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Apr 27, 2018 Petrik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A short, important, and powerful classic that deserved all its fame.

This will be a short review, there’s nothing else I can talk about here that hasn’t been discussed for the past 50 years and more.

Racism, prejudice, rape, false accusation of rape, all of these are abhorrent and really should have never existed in the first place within our world and society. However, it does. I find it insanely sad that even though this book was published more than 50 years ago, has also been used as an educati ...more

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Jun 03, 2017 leynes rated it did not like it · review of another edition

/// gentle reminder that this is not the time to read this book ///

This is my first re-read of 2017, and I don't regret it one bit. When I first read this book three years ago, I really liked it. Sadly, I didn't write my thoughts down in an elaborate way back in the day, but I know for sure, that I didn't read critically then. Upon my re-read of this book, I honestly don't have good things to say. I am aware that some of my criticism is not a critique of the book itself, but about its perception ...more

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Jun 18, 2014 Sean Barrs rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: humanity

Shelves: postcolonial

I’m not going to do my usual thing where I’d try to explain what I liked about this book. Normally, I would try to convince you why you should read it. I would speak about how important this book is and what message it could impart to its readers around the world. I would even say how it affected me personally. Today I’m not going to do that.

Instead, I will simply say that I loved this book. I loved its characters. I loved its plot. And I loved the eloquent way in which Harper Lee wrote it. It ...more

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May 02, 2010 Nataliya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, awesome-kickass-heroines, for-my-future-hypothetical-daughter, i-also-saw-the-film, my-childhood-bookshelves, 2015-reads

Life gives you a few things that you can count on. Death (for all), taxes (for most), and the unwavering moral character of Atticus Finch (for me). "What would Atticus do?" is not just a meme; for eleven-year-old me it became a real consideration after I feigned an illness to cut school and stay home to finish To Kill a Mockingbird — while a decidedly non-Atticus-like move, choosing Harper Lee's book over sixth grade math was probably a wiser life choice.

For my thoughts on the ~~shameless money gr~~

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Oct 26, 2011 Henry Avila rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Alabama in U.S.A., 1935 during the crippling bleak, Great Depression, Atticus Finch a widower, struggling lawyer and ultimate believer in justice for everybody, (a gentleman, if ever there was one) is raising two small children Scout, (Jean Louise) and Jem, (Jeremy) a typical American boy, he likes to have fun in the fictitious mostly quiet , small southern town of Maycomb. The siblings are unusually close, the father is absent often being a politician in the legislature, in Montgomery, the stat Alabama in U.S.A., 1935 during the crippling bleak, Great Depression, Atticus Finch a widower, struggling lawyer and ultimate believer in justice for everybody, (a gentleman, if ever there was one) is raising two small children Scout, (Jean Louise) and Jem, (Jeremy) a typical American boy, he likes to have fun in the fictitious mostly quiet , small southern town of Maycomb. The siblings are unusually close, the father is absent often being a politician in the legislature, in Montgomery, the state capital. Calpurina their black servant, takes good care of them and they all love, is the real parent of the kids, and of course, considered a member of the family. Mr. Finch is a rather remote uncomfortable father, the children call him by his first name of Atticus. Scout age eight, a tomboy, Jem who's four years older than his precocious sister and friend Dill, (Charles Baker Harris) a year older than Scout but not as big, and is frequently bullied, are always together. Dill from Meridian, Mississippi, spends the warm summers at his Aunt Rachel's house in town and is gratefully left alone. Next door to the Finch's live the Radley family, a strange people that keep to themselves, particularly Boo, (Arthur) a legendary creepy, mysterious man , who is never seen, weird stories abound about him by the curious, neighborhood kids, they test their bravery, by how close they can come to Boo's house. The gentle, Mr.Finch shocks Scout and Jem when he shoots a mad dog at the sheriff's request, Mr. Tate, knows Atticus's skill, but curiously he doesn't even have a gun at home, never seen with one either. This sleepy town awakens when Bob Ewell a lazy, notorious drunk, accuses a black man Tom Robinson of raping his flirtatious daughter, Mayella. The honorable Judge Taylor appoints Atticus, as Robinson's lawyer, an impossible task in that era. The trial brings people from all over Maycomb County , to the courthouse , Atticus Finch shines, but can he free an innocent man ? This story implies every human, should be treated with dignity, no matter what the color of their skin, and after so many years have gone by , is still the best novel in urging equality for all, what a concept... ...more

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Jun 13, 2008 Petra-X Off having adventures rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-reviews, fiction, reviewed

Even in the evil times when John Crow ruled the South and the Blacks were scarcely more free than in times of slavery and were allowed no civic power nor respect from their erswhile masters who were White, good men did their best.

As regards this book, the last phrase is a lie.

Atticus, a lawyer and good and caring father, a moral man, represented a Black man accused of raping a White woman. He lost, but he'd done his best.

That last paragraph is a lie.

Atticus belonged to the KKK, thought that Bla ...more

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Mar 08, 2016 Luca Ambrosino rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

English (To Kill a Mockingbird) / Italiano

«When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow»

Alabama. Early 1930s. The Great Depression. Maycomb, an imaginary town. Tom Robinson (black), falsely accused rapist. Atticus (white), lawyer instructed to represent him. Scout and Jem (white), sons of Atticus. Dill (white), friend of Jem and Scout. Calpurnia (black), maid from Atticus house. Arthur "Boo" Radley (white), mysterious neighbour. Mayella Ewell (white), victim

...more

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Dec 05, 2007 Denise rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Denise by: Bookgroup

Shelves: classics, books-i-love-so-much-i-bought, made-into-movie, bookgroup

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I looked up Harper Lee online this is her only published book. However, she did write a few articles that one can find and read online:
Love in other Words - Vogue
Christmas to me - McCalls
When Children Discover America
Romance and High Adventure

Her full name is Nellie Harper Lee - I bet she dropped the Nellie part so publishers would mistakenly think she was a man and read her material. She is also still alive and living in Monroeville, Alabama. And once you read about her and her family, you will ...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, historical-fiction, literary-stuff, bingo-2016, coming-of-age, made-me-think, favorites, i-own

What begins as, apparently, just an affectionate and humorous episodic tale of life in an Alabama town in the 1930s, and the personalities and quirks of the people who live there, gradually evolves into an amazing and powerful read, as a young girl called Scout becomes aware of her lawyer father's representation of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, and the town's general attitude about that, which spills over into their treatment of Scout and her brother.

description

From an attorne description

From an attorney's point of view, the trial of Tom was fascinating: the differences in how courts handled trials in a small town 80 years ago, the speed and informality of the trial, the African American people relegated to the balconies. I have no idea how accurate Harper Lee's description of the trial actually was to real life, but it seems extremely plausible to me. Mayella Ewell and her father were so appallingly real to me. I loved old Judge Taylor, and Atticus is a hero. Boo Radley flits like a ghost throughout the book, a vivid symbol of vulnerable innocence that's echoed in Tom's trial.

I've read a lot of reviews of Go Set a Watchman, discussing the differences in Atticus' views on race and his personal prejudices between that book and this one, so I was keeping a particular eye out for anything in Mockingbird that would indicate he's prejudiced but nevertheless committed to doing his job. It's just not there, and frankly I'm glad about that. There's enough prejudice in that town that I didn't feel like I needed to see need Atticus struggling with that issue on a personal level.

Harper Lee explores our values and prejudices that we sometimes don't examine closely enough in ourselves, and the vital importance of courage and integrity. This book is a truly timeless classic. It made me smile but broke my heart a little bit at the same time - like many of the best books do.

Bonus material: In the comments thread below we got into a discussion about Harper Lee using the real-life Scottsboro Boys trial(s) in the early 1930's as inspiration for Tom Robinson's trial. It's a somewhat loose connection; there are some substantial differences between the facts of the cases, but some definite similarities as well. In both trials, innocent black men were accused of rape based solely on the unsubstantiated word of a white woman. In the Scottsboro trials, there were nine African-American men accused of rape while riding the rails in the company of two white woman, apparently in the prostitution business, who were trying to avoid prosecution themselves. The evidence did not support the women's claims, but juries convicted the defendants anyway. A Judge Horton tried to enforce a fair trial, but was replaced on retrial. One of the inmates later tried to escape prison and was shot by a guard, though he was not killed. All in all, the Scottboro events are vivid, awful proof that Tom Robinson's trial was realistic.

See http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/w... and http://civilrightstokillamockingbird.... ...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Rereading this book as an adult made me realize how truly beautiful and wonderful it is. It will forever be one of my favorites.

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May 10, 2015 Paromjit rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, netgalley

I can't quite remember how many times I have read this Pulitzer prize winning, coming of age, Southern American classic novel, I first read this most loved of books at school and I think this is the fifth of my readings in these most anxious of times. The novel spawned the unforgettable award winning film starring Gregory Peck playing the unforgettable role of the most iconic lawyer of all time, the compassionate Atticus Finch. I think there cannot be many who are unaware of this timeless, emoti ...more

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Mar 03, 2019 Annemarie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-english, all-time-favs

Gosh, this is one of my new all time favorite books! It's just a shame that I will never be able to fully express how and why it affected me as much as it did. But I can try my best to at least write a few words to let you know what things I enjoyed (spoiler: I enjoyed every single word).

This story deals with the very important and sensitive topic of racism and is told from the point of five of a little girl. I had my doubts if this combination would work out. But somehow, Harper Lee was able to Gosh, this is one of my new all time favorite books! It's just a shame that I will never be able to fully express how and why it affected me as much as it did. But I can try my best to at least write a few words to let you know what things I enjoyed (spoiler: I enjoyed every single word).

This story deals with the very important and sensitive topic of racism and is told from the point of five of a little girl. I had my doubts if this combination would work out. But somehow, Harper Lee was able to create an incredibly compelling character, who understands and misunderstands just the right amounts to be realistic, and to get all the major points the novel is trying to make across. It would have been easy to write from the perspective of Atticus, the 'hero' of the story. But I think this wouldn't have been the right thing to do; it would have seemed far too self-indulgent and conceited.

The characters themselves are all incredibly lovely. They just warmed up my heart. I'd love to give those three little kids, Scout and Jem and Dill, a giant hug. I'd like to shake the hand of Atticus and pay him my respects. I would go to Church with Calpurnia and find out more about her life. I would smile at Boo, to let him know that I accept him just the way he is, and while a simple smile might seem like a typical interaction to others, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Boo.
So yeah, all of those characters have found a place in my heart, and I know that they will definitely stay in my mind for a long time to come as well.

It surprised me how easy to read I found the writing style. It's hard to believe this was written in the 60's! I think the fact the topic is (unfortunately) a timeless one plays a part in that.
I'm currently still in a bit of a reading slump, but this book grabbed my attention from the first page and kept me smiling and laughing and crying. No wonder it's such a well-loved classic! I definitely agree that it's one of those books everyone should read at least once. Personally, I already know that I will read it many more times in the future. ...more

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Aug 05, 2007 Rishi rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 10, 2015 Angela M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reread

The first time I read this I was much , much younger and I remember loving it then . Over forty five years later, it still held so much for me - wonderful language and characters that I never forgot about and relevancy even so many years later .

I'm not sure I have an original thought or feeling that someone else hasn't already articulated. So I will only say that for me the beauty of this book lies in how Lee has so perfectly captured the time in the 1930's and the place Maycomb and the life in ...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Lyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is on a short list with Moby-Dick; or, The Whale and The Old Man and the Sea for the great American novel.

And this one stands apart as a novel that is also a celebration of courage, integrity, and dignity.

If ever there is a lawyer who, at least once, didn’t admire and want to be like Atticus, then there’s something deeply wrong with that lawyer.

The scene where the courtroom is empty and Atticus is gathering his notes and files and the black folks in the upper room are waiting and then as ...more

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May 09, 2010 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: january-list-next

A wonderful piece of literature, great characters, plot and prose. There is sadness and happiness, racism and equality, immaturity and maturity, injustice and redemption.
Atticus is a man we could all love and look up to a grounded just and fair man he sees beyond race and finds the goodness in people. His cook Calpurnia Is honest good black lady who you just gotta love in this story, she works for a nice family who are about to go through some obstacles and testing times.
A lot of the story is t
A wonderful piece of literature, great characters, plot and prose. There is sadness and happiness, racism and equality, immaturity and maturity, injustice and redemption.
Atticus is a man we could all love and look up to a grounded just and fair man he sees beyond race and finds the goodness in people. His cook Calpurnia Is honest good black lady who you just gotta love in this story, she works for a nice family who are about to go through some obstacles and testing times.
A lot of the story is told through a young girl and is enjoyable to see things from a young perspective for example this excerpt...
"There was a man Dill had heard of who had a boat that he rowed across to a foggy island where all these babies were; you could order one— “That’s a lie. Aunty said God drops ‘em down the chimney. At least that’s what I think she said.” For once, Aunty’s diction had not been too clear.

"You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men."

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Some trivia about the book and movie...
Finch was writer Harper Lee's mother's maiden name.
Despite the novel winning the Pulitzer Prize, the studios were not interested in buying up the film rights as they deemed it lacking in action, there was no love story and the villain doesn't get a big comeuppance. Producer Alan J. Pakula disagreed however and persuaded director Robert Mulligan that it would make a good film. Together they were able to convince Gregory Peck who readily agreed.

Truman Capote, who grew up with Harper Lee, also knew the inspiration for "Boo" Radley, and had planned to base a character on him in one of his short stories. After seeing how well the character was realized in Lee's novel, however, he decided against it.

Some images..

Harper Lee on the right.

http://more2read.com/?review=to-kill-a-mockingbird-by-harper-lee ...more

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Dec 16, 2013 Fabian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thus it becomes crystal clear why this classic is a must for kids. Surely it stands on an even shelf with the Harry Potter series (take in mind: its a Millennial writing this review); it's ripe with conventions that can be cracked open in the classroom, where the love for literature begins for most American children. The emblematic character of Atticus Finch is a great figure--mysterious, righteous, progressive...completely just and good. Intelligent. As is Scout, the precocious girl who filters ...more

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Oct 23, 2014 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, paperback-own

I loved the movie and of course the book as well. My favorite is Scout, she is just one cool little kid. Scout and Jem's friend Dill is a hoot!

I really hated what happened to Tom in this book, but that is the way of nasty men and people in this world. I'm glad Mr. Ewell got what was coming to him.

I love Calpurnia and all of the ladies on the street. The stories of the kids and Boo Radley was great, but I liked in the movie better when they finally got to meet him. It seems like there was more ...more

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Mar 24, 2017 Paul O'Neill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What can I say about this amazing book that hasn’t already been said? I think The Guardian said it best– 'To Kill a Mockingbird will never stop being a good book, and it will never stop inspiring good people'

The story 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 accu ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Reading_ Tam_ Ishly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First of all, let's forget it's a 'classic' that we all 'must' read for the sake of reading a classic.

Second of all, let's have no inhuman high expectations from this book.

Third of all, it's enough to know that this has been written from the perspective of a six year old girl.

And that's how we should pick up this one and go for it like we are picking up a newly released book and seriously that's the way it should be for everyone I would like to say...like again!

I won't go into details regarding ...more

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May 23, 2018 Luffy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star

Giving one of the most acclaimed books of all time a 5 makes me feel all lovey-dovey. There was a time when I didn't agree with most of the established literature. But now that I've read TKaM, that issue has partially been addressed.

I approached reading this book with wariness and some pessimism, and also with low expectations. The year it got its Pulitzer was a decade or two since the War. The likes of Herman Wouk (one of my favorite authors) were no longer on the scene.

This was a sensitive top ...more

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About Harper Lee

Harper Lee

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Harper Lee, known as Nelle, was born in the Alabama town of Monroeville, the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. Her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, was a lawyer who served on the state legislature from 1926 to 1938. As a child, Lee was a tomboy and a precocious reader, and enjoyed the friendship of her schoolmate and neighbor, the you ...more

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“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.” — 17600 likes

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” — 13079 likes

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