To Kill a Mockingbird

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Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.

Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out."Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber

Customer Reviews:

To Kill A Mockingbird.......2007-10-08

I read this book in my English class before I saw the movie, and I must say I was amazed enough to actually continually read this novel as opposed to going to the cliff notes. It is rather engaging, and Gregory Peck, although giving one of the greatest performances of all time, did not give Atticus Finch the justice he well deserved.

Highly recommended.

Significant and Memorable.......2007-09-30

This ever-popular, Pulitzer prize-winning novel is written from the first-person perspective of "Scout," a young girl growing up in a small, segregated Alabama town during the Great Depression. I did not read any descriptions of the book before I began it, so it was fascinating as I began to realize what it was about. Its gentle, childlike, Tom Sawyer, heart-of-America cadence drew me in, but provided a counterpoint to the hypocrisy, racism, and bigotry that was revealed in the town little by little.

The writing itself, of course, is excellent, telling the story subtly but powerfully - or perhaps the power is in its very subtlety. In my opinion, this is not the most compelling book I've ever read on this issue, but it is significant and memorable.

bought to kill a mockingbird.......2007-09-27

i bought the book to kill a mockingbird. it was in excellent condition. the price was also very low.

Loved Loved Loved!.......2007-09-23

Anyone who gives this book a chance will absolutely love it! It starts out with childhood memories of Scout Finch that seem to be completely unrelated, but Harper Lee cleverly weaves them together to make a great novel. The novel's point of view is unique and is probably what makes this book a classic. The story is seen through the innocent eyes of a six year old, but is being retold by an older, more mature woman. This allows the novel to have more mature language and ideas, but everything is seen through an innocent child's eyes. It's the best of both worlds, and I promise you, you'll be in tears by the end. It's a heart wrenching novel, and though it may sound repetitive, you'll love this book if you read it!

Perfect-pitch storytelling.......2007-09-12

The recollections of a young girl in a small southern town during the depression. Harper Lee adopts a near pitch-perfect voice of 'Scout' Finch as a narrator thinking back over the events and able to summon the 8-year old Scout to help tell them.
Thought often subtle, Lee keeps her eye on the subject of bigotry - bigotry of race, sex, class, education, family - and, through Scout's eyes, shines a spotlight on its cruelty and shows how the seeds are being planted for tidal changes that are on the way.
It's hard to imagine a better storyteller.

Average customer rating:

The best audio book I have heard!
Spacek is Special
To Kill a Mockingbird
Sissy Spacek is Impeccable
Great for classroom or personal pleasure!

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Manufacturer: Caedmon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0060888695
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Book Description

Harper Lee's classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century.

Performed by Sissy Spacek

Customer Reviews:

The best audio book I have heard!.......2007-10-07

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is my all time favorite novel. It the my "go to" book that I typically do read at least once a year during an unexpected wait in an ER etc. I purchased this audio book because I drive in my work and I wanted to see if I liked it compared to the last one I tried several years ago where the narrator was so southern I could not understand her. All I can say about Sissy Spacek is that she hits this one out of the park. I was captivated from beginning to end. I give this audio book a A +++.

Spacek is Special.......2007-09-02

Sissy Spacek draws from her Texas roots and does a subtly superb performance of Harper Lee's masterpiece of coming of age in an age of intolerance - Alabama during the Great Depression. Harper-Collins did a superior job of producing and packaging this all-round classic, must have addition to your library.

For more information about Nelle Harper Lee and how "To Kill a Mockingbird" came to be, I also recommend Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer

To Kill a Mockingbird.......2007-08-12

As a reader, it's difficult for me to listen to someone else's interpretation of words. This is an exceptional effort by Sissy Spacek. The flavor & nuance of Harper Lee's intention (I believe) are captured and enhanced. My thanks to both women!

Sissy Spacek is Impeccable.......2007-06-27

After reading To Kill a Mockingbird in high school and college, and starting Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, I decided I needed a refresher, so I checked out this audio book from my local library. Sissy Spacek's reading is absolutely wonderful. Her Southern accent is spot-on, soothing, and not at all over-the-top. Her tone is soothing and lovely and the story and characters shine through. If you have a long commute or just enjoy audio books, this is a definite must!

Great for classroom or personal pleasure!.......2007-05-21

Sissy Spacek does a wonderful job reading Harper Lee's classic. She has a light Southern accent that makes you believe you are listening to Scout. If the performance weren't enough, the price and the packaging make it all worth the while. The tracks are evenly spaced, and they are well catalogued on the CD jackets. Definitely a pleasure all around!

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Pernnial Moderns Classics)

Average customer rating:

sorry I took so long
A Classic
A Perennial Favorite
After All These Years, It Gets Better and Better...
The Classic

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Pernnial Moderns Classics)
Harper Lee
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061120081
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Book Description

Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South -- and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, served as the basis of an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father -- a crusading local lawyer -- risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

Customer Reviews:

sorry I took so long.......2007-10-07

It took me to long to finally read this book. In my school I don't know when I was growing up we never read this book. Instead I selected it for our book club.
I enjoyed reading this book finally. I used to hear this was a good read.
Growing up story, with the father at the center helping the children have good moral values. How it is hard for Scout to see her brother grow before her eyes, and they are no longer at the same level. There is a rape trial which is said when you do research on Harper Lee, that there was a real trial. That alot the book is based on true events.
I would reccommend this book to be read alone and then discussed with others.

A Classic.......2007-09-03

You can't go wrong buying a classic. This is a great book that has held up well over time.

A Perennial Favorite.......2007-08-29

With deadly insight into the core of prejudice and character motivation, Harper Lee wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird, which today is available in numerous editions and languages. 1935 is the setting of a story of a court appointed attorney, his family, their neighbors, and the world in which they live.
This outstanding classic is what fine writing is all about and has been the inspiration for many young people to take up writing as their vocation. Read by all ages and used as text material in countless classrooms; it is best of middle 20th century American writing.
If you've never read it, get it and do so. If you have read it, do so again for the second, third, or. . .time. Scout, Jem, Dill, Boo Radley, Atticus, and the Ladies group have the perennial freshness of a summer rain.
This one tops them all. The Lexington, KY newspaper ran a page of Top Ten Book Favorite by people for all walks of life, every Sunday this summer. "To Kill a Mockingbird" was the one book that made the majority of lists.
Nash Black, author of "Qualifying Laps" and "Sins of the Fathers."

After All These Years, It Gets Better and Better..........2007-08-09

Like fine wine, it gets better and better...

It had been more than 40 years since last visiting Atticus, Scout, Jem, Tom Robinson and Boo Radney. I had forgotten how much I loved them, how real they were, and how much they moved me...

Having grown up in times like those described in the book, though not in situations as dramatic, Harper Lee and her characters helped me once again put my own life and times in perspective.

An American classic? It's more than that--it's a human classic. We are not likely to see another like this in our lifetime.

If you've read it before, it's most likely time to read it again...you will appreciate it even more and admire Harper Lee's ability to communicate matters of the heart even more....like fine wine, it gets better and better...

The Classic.......2007-07-11

Quite simply, one of the five greatest American novels ever written. What a lesson for both children and adults, especially in this day and age.

Average customer rating:

Insights into the Life of a Very Private Woman
Engrossing
Killing a Mockingbird
Interesting. but...
The story behind the story

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee
Charles J. Shields
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 080507919X
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Book Description

To Kill a Mockingbird, the twentieth-centurys most widely read American novel, has sold thirty million copies and still sells a million yearly. Yet despite the books perennial popularity, its creator, Harper Lee has become a somewhat mysterious figure. Now, after years of research, Charles J. Shields has brought to life the warmhearted, high-spirited, and occasionally hardheaded woman who gave us two of American literatures most unforgettable charactersAtticus Finch and his daughter, Scoutand who contributed to the success of her lifelong friend Truman Capotes masterpiece, In Cold Blood. At the center of Shieldss lively book is the story of Lees struggle to create her famous novel. But her life contains many other highlights as well: her girlhood as a tomboy in overalls in tiny Monroeville, Alabama; the murder trial that made her beloved fathers reputation and inspired her great work; her journey to Kansas as Capotes ally and research assistant to help report the story of the Clutter murders; the surrogate family she found in New York City. Drawing on six hundred interviews and much new information, Mockingbird is the first book ever written about Harper Lee. Highly entertaining, filled with humor and heart, this is an evocative portrait of a writer, her dream, and the place and people whom she made immortal.

Customer Reviews:

Insights into the Life of a Very Private Woman.......2007-08-11

Charles J. Shields got off to a slow start in Mockingbird but readers who suffered through the rather mind-numbing first chapter were rewarded with an intriguing Nelle Harper Lee biography that got stronger and stronger as each chapter unfolded. Shields managed to give insights into Harper Lee, the woman, despite the fact that her public life and career have been limited to relatively few milestones, events that her admirers find interesting even today.

Nelle grew up in the small Alabama town of Monroeville where she was much like the tomboyish character Scout who was the central figure in her masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird. After high school she went on to Huntingdon College and, under pressure from her father, later studied law at the University of Alabama but did not graduate. Nelle was determined to become a writer and left law school to move to New York so that she could concentrate on that.

The events that define the public Harper Lee all started to happen around 1960 and they make up the heart of the book:

* Publication and immediate success of To Kill a Mockingbird

* Her intimate involvement in the research for In Cold Blood with her oldest friend in the world, Truman Capote

* Filming of To Kill a Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck

* Her disappearance from public view and lack of a second novel

Nelle Harper Lee was very fortunate to find, early on, a gifted and patient editor in the person of Tay Hohoff who worked with her through the numerous drafts required to transform Nelle's stories into the unified novel that they ultimately became. Within just a few weeks of publication, To Kill a Mockingbird was on the top ten lists of both the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune and had become a Reader's Digest Condensed Book (considered quite an honor in those days).

While all this was happening, Nelle was helping her childhood friend and neighbor, Truman Capote, do the Kansas research required for the creation of his own masterpiece, In Cold Blood. In fact, it is unlikely that Capote would have been able to write such a groundbreaking work if Nelle Lee had not made herself available to serve as his "assistant" in Garden City, Kansas. Truman Capote did not have the kind of personality or presence that went over well in rural Kansas and without Nelle there to open doors for him with her graceful southern personality and temperament he would have been unable to gather the inside information that makes In Cold Blood so special. Sadly enough, all of the help that Nelle gave Capote did not exempt her in later years from being treated with the same contempt and lack of respect with which he treated all of his supposed friends.

The chapter on the filming of To Kill a Mockingbird provides interesting insights into the personality of Gregory Peck and how he came to truly love Nelle Lee, remaining a friend of hers for the rest of his life, and is filled with stories and bits of gossip regarding most of the key members of the cast. Monroeville, Alabama, of the 1960s looked little like the Monroeville of the 1930s but such great care was taken to recreate the older version of Monroeville (even to taking exact measurements in the old court room) that many casual viewers of the movie assume that it was shot on location there.

The last chapters offered up by Shields attempt to explain the great mystery of why Nelle never wrote even a second book. In Shields' estimation, the lack of succeeding books was caused by circumstances as much as anything else. To Kill a Mockingbird became such a money-making machine that Nelle lost several years in nurturing it as she traveled the country making personal appearances, working on the movie and winning prizes for the book, including the Pulitzer. As she once said, before she knew it, she had lost a decade. More importantly, she seemed to feel the pressure of trying to measure up to the quality of her first novel to such an extent that she lost confidence in her ability to ever do so. She was a slow writer, by nature, and that in combination with the pressure to top one of the most popular books in the history of world literature may have been too much for her. After losing her agents and editor to death or retirement, she finally resigned herself to the fact that it was not going to happen and decided to return to the simple life she most preferred anyway.

Considering the fact that Nelle Harper Lee refused to participate in the writing of Mockingbird (as she has refused all interviews for the last several decades), Charles Shields has done a remarkable job of providing some perspective to a writer who has done her best to avoid publicity for most of her life.

Engrossing.......2007-08-06

Nelle Harper Lee is perhaps one of the most influential people in the 20th century (it's a little early to call on the 21st, but one can hope). This biography was thorough and well-written, but limited by the fact that Miss Lee truly wants to be left alone. Not only did she not participate in the creation of this book, but most of her closest friends, family and confidantes closed ranks and refused to talk as well. It is still well worth reading, as even a limited view is fascinating.

Killing a Mockingbird.......2007-07-25

I read this well-written and often engrossing book in a single weekend. Less, if you consider that I got it on Saturday afternoon and was done with it Sunday night. I read it because Nelle Harper Lee (I had no idea her first name was Nelle; not Harper) created To Kill A Mockingbird. Because To Kill Mockingbird is a book that stayed with me all this time even though my then-English teacher used it (in part) to teach us what the subject and object of a sentence was. But when I read this book, gulped it down really, I felt guilty. Because this act of reading it--like the act of writing and researching and publishing it--is so contrary to what To Kill A Mockingbird is about. At least to me.

At one point, Atticus tells Jem to "shoot at bluejays all you want, if you can hit `em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Charles Shields didn't listen. Because as he himself admits (not in so many words maybe but it's there) Nelle Harper Lee has become the literary equivalent of Boo Radley. A lady who treasures her past and friends as jealously as she treasures her privacy. A lady who stays at home because she does not want to come out. And so I have no doubt that by digging up her old skeletons and exposing them for all to see (and incidentally demonstrating that in the age of the Internet there is no such thing as privacy) Charles Shields caused her much pain. And was it worth it?

Do I think any less of Atticus (A.C. Lee) because he is not as perfect? Do I need to know all the less-than-pleasant details of what happened to Dill (Truman Capote) before, during and after? And do I need to see the old (and not-so-old) gossip about Harper Lee herself? For what, finally, emerges from this biography in the end? What is the Harper Lee story for whose sake Charles Shields invaded Harper Lee's privacy, friends, and family?

At the end, what emerges is the story of a decent lady who loves her family and friends, lives in the little Southern town of Monroeville and (maybe because she loves books) has a modest little apartment in New York. What emerges is a lady quick to laugh and quick of temper; a lady who wrote her book not because she believes in Causes but because she loves real people. A lady who is "just folks". But then anyone who had read To Kill A Mockingbird already knew that.

So why cause Nelle Harper Lee pain to tell us what we already knew? Because it was a challenge, maybe. But that's not a good enough reason - even if the end is a well-written, well-crafted, and very respectful book. It's not good enough because researching and publishing that book (and probably reading it too) was a bit like killing a mockingbird.

It was wrong.

Interesting. but..........2007-06-13

A lot of research went into this biography. For fans of TKAM, it is amazing and fun to get the backstory of the book and movie. If, however, you are looking for a biography of a woman who's values reflect the book she wrote, you will be disappointed. My disappointment was that Harper Lee did not cooperate with this biography. That was not Shield's fault. He writes about Lee with a great deal of respect. For me, a great fan of TKAM, it was a marvelous read and a page turner.

The story behind the story.......2007-02-26

Reading biography is not always my cup of tea, but I've loved TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD since junior high, and I felt compelled to read this biography of the enigmatic author. I was pleasantly surprised; the biography is nicely written and very readable. I finished it in a couple of days, which is unusual for someone who generally finds non-fiction reading slow going.

The book traces the life of Nelle Harper Lee from her beginnings in Monroeville, Alabama through the writing of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and her now-famous work with Truman Capote on the research of IN COLD BLOOD. Details of the post-Mockingbird phase of Lee's life become somewhat sketchy, but, given Lee's studied attempt to remain well out of the literary limelight, I think we can assume that Mr. Shields does the best he can with the material available to him.

As a fan of the novel, I found most interesting the parallels between the real-life Monroeville and the fictional Maycomb, Alabama. Shields does a good job of ferreting out possible models for the characters in the novel, and, yes, there apparently really was a Boo Radley.

This look at Lee's life also reminds us that good writing is hard work and that sometimes success can carry a hefty price tag.

I highly recommend MOCKINGBIRD for all fans of Harper Lee's novel.

Average customer rating:

10th grade son
Read the Real Book
Great for Study Guides
A essential if you are reading the book in a class
Great!

To Kill a Mockingbird (Cliffs Notes)
Cliffs , and Tamara Castleman
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764586009

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on To Kill a Mockingbird, you explore Harper Lee's literary masterpiece -- a novel that deals with Civil Rights and racial bigotry in the segregated southern United States of the 1930s. Told through the eyes of the memorable Scout Finch, the novel tells the story of her father, Atticus, as he hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man accused of raping and beating a white woman.

Chapter summaries and commentaries take you through Scout's coming of age journey. Critical essays give you insight into racial relations in the South during the 1930s, as well as a comparison between the novel and its landmark film version. Other features that help you study include

Character analyses of the main characters
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
A section on the life and background of Harper Lee
A review section that tests your knowledge
A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Internet sites

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Download Description

A coming-of-age story set in the South, the novel narrated by Scout, a young girl on the brink of a life-changing event. rich with subjects for conversation.

To Kill a Mockingbird, rich with subjects for conversation, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1960.

Customer Reviews:

10th grade son.......2007-09-06

My son had a very hard time getting into the actual book. The vocabulary was so different he spent a lot of time on one page. I purchased the cliff notes for him to read. Once he understood what everything meant and the story itself, he really actually enjoyed reading the book. I would never substitute Cliff Notes for the actual book, but in this case it made a huge difference. Finished his report on time and I have no doubt he will do well on the test (using the Cliff notes as a study guide). My reluctance to use Cliff notes is slowly changing -- using them more of a study guide in conjunction with the book. He will always be required to read the actual book.

Read the Real Book.......2002-02-07

Only read Cliff's Notes if your desperate, because the book is absolutly fabulous. You're robbing yourself of a great book if you decide to skip the book and read the Cliff's Notes.

Great for Study Guides.......2001-12-10

In my English class we were required to read this book. Although I did read the novel we were told to complete a study guide with the novel. We were often asked to describe certain characters and the cliff notes helped a lot. Also if I missed a night of the reading it was simple just to scan the cliff notes and then read the novel in detail later. All in all, this cliff notes book was very helpful, but I do recommend that you read the novel because it is great.

A essential if you are reading the book in a class.......2001-06-11

If you are in school and are reading this book in class then this is a essential item. I did not get the cliff notes for myself someone ales got them for me and I dint even think i needed them but they really helped me. Not to just understand the book but also were the author was coming from to. It really helped me and I highly recommend this.

Great!.......2001-05-11

We had to read this book for school, and i was NOT looking forward to it. The class from last year had nothing but bad things to say about it. So I decided I would read a little bit just to keep up in our class discussions. Let me tell you, I was hooked! I couldn't put it down! To Kill a Mockingbird is the best book I have ever read!!

To Kill a Mockingbird (slipcased edition)

Average customer rating:

It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird...
Tightly written with a message for everyone

To Kill a Mockingbird (slipcased edition)
Harper Lee
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061205699
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

At the age of eight, Scout Finch is an entrenched free-thinker. She can accept her father's warning that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, because mockingbirds harm no one and give great pleasure. The benefits said to be gained from going to school and keeping her temper elude her.

The place of this enchanting, intensely moving story is Maycomb, Alabama. The time is the Depression, but Scout and her brother, Jem, are seldom depressed. They have appalling gifts for entertaining themselves—appalling, that is, to almost everyone except their wise lawyer father, Atticus.

Atticus is a man of unfaltering good will and humor, and partly because of this, the children become involved in some disturbing adult mysteries: fascinating Boo Radley, who never leaves his house; the terrible temper of Mrs. Dubose down the street; the fine distinctions that make the Finch family "quality"; the forces that cause the people of Maycomb to show compassion in one crisis and unreasoning cruelty in another.

Also because Atticus is what he is, and because he lives where he does, he and his children are plunged into a conflict that indelibly marks their lives—and gives Scout some basis for thinking she knows just about as much about the world as she needs to.

Customer Reviews:

It's a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird..........2007-04-06

My mother bequeathed her 1962 college edition hardcover to me in 1988, four years after I finished high school. It would be four more years before I myself went away to school, though I knew the story nearly by heart by then.

I reread Mockingbird every year at Eastertime, though I am not particularly religious, nor do I mark this time in any other particularly hopeful way. Many true bibliophiles I know still talk about this book and the way it changed them forever.

It deserves better than to be assigned reading to captive 6th and 10th graders. They read it then because they have to, not because some kind librarian or insightful teacher, or intuitive parent, sends it their way, like a lucky charm.

I am not a Southerner and unless you can call a Western New York born mother and an Owensboro, Kentucky bred father any sort of meaningful Southern influence in my life, I do not know why this story fits my life so well. It filled a need I never even knew was there until I closed its covers on first reading it.

I am a fan of both the writing and its message, its dual edged sword of hope and sorrow, the tragicomic aspect of its mood and setting.

I wanted to be Scout as a tomboy girl and when grown, to be Atticus; my cats have borne those monikers well.

I only wish my husband had not told me I could not name my own son after my hero.

A rare case where the movie and its inspiration are as beloved as its author, To Kill a Mockingbird, N words and all, needs to be read more---and not just as some lame excuse for a paper writing exercise. Scout, Jem and Dill come alive in these pages. They have meaning in their world and in this one.

The dialogue, minus a few colloquiallisms, is readable and real. You will laugh out loud at times when Scout makes her mind known to you.

You'll wish Atticus was a real man. Maybe you'll even feel a little guilty about wanting him to replace your father in real life.

And Tom Robinson? He'll break your heart. He should.

I was once told my Coleman family had some relation to Harper Lee's father's family and, if that bit of fiction has even the remotest grain of truth to it, I am even happier now than I was just having imagined it.

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.

Tightly written with a message for everyone.......2006-12-02

Harper Lee was encouraged to write some of her childhood memories. What in the beginning seems like the story of three childhood friends in depression era Macomb, Alabama, turns out to be packed with insights to the makeup of human kind.

This story is intriguing on many levels from the history of the area to the stereotyping of people. Most of all every turn was a surprise as told in the first person from the view of Scout Finch. And instead of telling the story in a six year old vocabulary she uses an exceptionally large repertoire to describe the people and events. This story is not as slow passed as one may guess from first glance as every remark and every action will be needed for a future action.

A major controversial part of the story is the trial of Tom Robinson. Hoverer this is just a catalyst to help Scout understand the nature of people including her father Atticus and you will find that as important as it is it is just a part of the story with other major characters such as Arthur "Boo" Radley.

Even thought it appears that Scout is the recipient of the insights, I believe we the reader is the real recipient.

I can truly say that this book has changed my outlook in life.

The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane

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Wonderfully Detailed Tribute To Television's First Family Of Fright
The Munsters A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane
A Book with Bite!!!
I Still Don't Believe Butch Patrick was Born in 1953
The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane

The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane
Stephen Cox
Manufacturer: Back Stage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0823078949

Book Description

* Hundreds of rare photos from the Universal archives
* Interviews with cast and crew, packed with insider anecdotes
* Introduction by Lily Munster herself, Yvonne de Carlo!

If you recognize the famous Mockingbird Heights address, you probably grew up in the 1960s and never missed a chance to see the Munsters, the working stiffs (get it?) of ghouls. Now it's time to rediscover Herman and Lily, Grandpa, Eddie, and Marilyn (the "ugly one") in this entertaining, comprehensive look at the first family of fright. A complete episode guide makes The Munsters the must-have companion to watching the series on DVD or cable, while hundreds of rare photographs from the archives of Universal Studios plus interviews with cast and crew reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of the Munster family. This completely revised and updated edition of a hotly collected book lets all of us pay one more visit to a cult classic!

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully Detailed Tribute To Television's First Family Of Fright.......2007-07-08

Having recently acquired this wonderful book by author Stephen Cox titled "The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane", as well as the recently released Two Seasons of the classic series on DVD, I once again never fail to marvel at this brilliant and totally original series that ran from 1964-66. Part domestic sitcom, part tribute to the Universal Monsters of old, and part satire on the "then", state of society as we perhaps knew it, "The Munsters" were really one of a kind, a sort of ghoul's version of "Father Knows Best". Produced in what I still firmly believe was the most creative decade on television, the swinging 1960's, "The Munsters", entry into the television schedule was perfectly timed and this most unusual of families slotted right in with the fantastic and totally "out of this world", programming of the time that featured beautiful suburban witches, talking horses, multi-millionaire hillbillies, bumbling spies, and sexy Genies.

Stephen Cox's loving tribute to this classic series makes first rate reading, chock full of terrific and highly informative information and dozens of truly stunning photos never before seen that will delight the heart of any reader. It truly is essential in the book collection of any devoted "Munster", fan like myself. In a similiar vein to his other writing efforts that explored such much loved series from the 1960's as "The Beverly Hillbillies", and "Green Acres", Mr. Cox here explores everything to do with the show in a easily read format. Everything "Munster" is here from the original ideas that formed the basis for the eventual series, to information on the series' incredible cast and production crew, to a detailed look at the show's lavish attention to detail in terms of sets, costumes and makeup. Discussion is also given by Mr. Cox on the still mysterious reasons for the show's cancellation after only two years and then examines the amazing after life of "The Munsters", that continues on as strong as ever after 40 years when many of the more "realistic", sitcoms that replaced it are now only hazy memories. In short it's the perfect book for "Munster", lovers and anyone who has a real interest in how television was produced in that golden decade of the 1960's.

The Munsters A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane.......2007-06-02

This was a terrific book and provided detailed information about the show that took a lot of research. It was equally as entertaining. I would highly recommend that Munster fans (young and old). Illustrations are wonderful.

A Book with Bite!!!.......2007-05-14

WOW, what an incredible book. This is just everything you need and want to know about the Munsters TV show. It has it all and doesn't skip a beat. The things you will learn about the tv show is just awesome. Wanna know about the makeup? It's there. Wanna know about the cars? It's there. What the cast has and is doing? It's there. Get the point.

Let me also say what a fabulous job of how the book was designed. Color photos and behind the scene shots thru out the book. These are just some of the most spectacular photos on the tv show I have seen. Nice Rare stuff. You will love it.

What a remarkable update to Mr. Cox original book. This is definately a whole new book. Get one before you can never find one like this again.

I Still Don't Believe Butch Patrick was Born in 1953.......2007-03-06

A TRIP DOWN MOCKINGBIRD LANE is exactly that: a compilation of recollections from cast and crew that more or less leave a good feeling about the show and is akin to an album a family might collect in time for a reunion. There are no major revelations in this publication; stories are repeated throughout and must be fan favorites that folks enjoy being told again and again.

There are hints about Patrick Lily (better known as Butch Patrick) and his behavior on the set. There is mention of Fred and Al's constant bickering with the powers-that-were, but nothing concrete. Someday I would like to read a biography that would focus on Patrick's experience as a child actor. I do not believe he was born in 1953, he looks nine (at oldest) when the show first premiers. I think his age was lied about so he could get into makeup and be on the set longer than a younger child would have been allowed (I surmise this because he still looks no older than 12 in 1968 when he does "The Phantom Tollbooth"). Although I love "The Munsters" television series, and generally believe a good experience was had by all, I would be interested in reading Lily's story; I think we would find that his grandmother used acting as some use modern-day foster care.

As for this work, it is rare that a television series receive such a loving treatment: the color photos are vivid, the black and whites are brillaint, there are several trivia features that are fun, but would not have been thought of by a lesser biographer. It is a terrific keepsake for Munsters' fans and television adhearants in general.

The Munsters: A Trip Down Mockingbird Lane.......2007-01-29

Awesome, detailed book. Easy, flowing reading that you can't put down! What an insight inot the production and cast members of this classic show.

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To Kill a Mockingbird.
Tightly written with a message for everyone

To Kill A Mockingbird Cassette
Harper Lee
Manufacturer: Caedmon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 0060888709
Release Date: 2006-08-22

Book Description

Harper Lee's classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl

Performed by Sissy Spacek

Customer Reviews:

To Kill a Mockingbird........2007-01-04

My wife and I listened to the cassette on an auto trip to Oregon to visit with our grandsons. Although we had read the book before, the audio tapes made the miles fly by thanks to Sissy Spacek.

Tightly written with a message for everyone.......2006-10-03

To Kill a Mockingbird (Literature Made Easy)

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Unusual and effective guide for teachers and students
to kill a mockingbird
A thematic guide on Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird"
This book is sensational!
A wonderful book for all ages.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Literature Made Easy)
Mary Hartley , and Tony Buzan
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764108220

Book Description

TheLiterature Made Easy Series is more than just plot summaries. Each book describes a classic novel and drama by explaining themes, elaborating on characters, and discussing each author's unique literary style, use of language, and point of view. Extensive illustrations and imaginative, enlightening use of graphics help to make each book in this series livelier, easier, and more fun to use than ordinary literature plot summaries. An unusual feature, "Mind Map" is a diagram that summarizes and interrelates the most important details that students need to understand about a given work. Appropriate for middle and high school students.

Customer Reviews:

Unusual and effective guide for teachers and students.......2007-05-07

I purchased this guide on a hunch. Every spring I teach my eleventh grade English students this novel, and I was looking for new ideas. The concept of the Mind Map presented in this guide has been significant in my students' understanding of the novel. I use three Mind Maps, presenting them on transparencies and adding to them as needed: Characters, Themes, and Plot Occurrences. Students have grasped the novel better since the first day because they have been instrumental in the gradual construction of the Mind Maps. I highly recommend this, especially for the Mind Maps which are shown as examples. Also, the chapter synopses are extremely well-done, organized, and easy to follow. The guide contains some of the best talking points I have ever seen for this novel. This book is unlike Cliff's Notes or Spark Notes; I recommended it to my students because it is actually thought-provoking rather than just a summary review. HIGHLY recommended! It's the best money I've spent on a teaching aid all year!

to kill a mockingbird.......2003-11-07

This is a story about a man named Atticus Finch an attorney who lives in small town who is considered to be well off. He lives there with his daughter called Scout and his son Jem. Atticus is a man of convictions, he does not see any place for prejudice of any kind. He is called upon to defend a blackman Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white girl. He knew this case would be difficult to win and could totally change his life. The story seems to focus on the representation of the mockingbirdas a symbol of innocence.
Atticus was portrayed as a good father who taught his children honesty and compassion. He had a tough time as a lawyer who was labeled as a "Nigger Lover" because he showed respect towards the black community. He took many risks to stand up for his beliefs.
I related well with "Scouts", Jean Louis who was strong willed and loved to be involved with everthing. She could not understand why people dislike other people just because they were different. Scout idolized her brother and preferred to hang out with Jem than anyone else.
Jem was just an ordinay boy who supported his father's beliefs. He looked out for his sister Scout. He would become his sister's hero when Scout was attacked in the woods by a crazed man whose heart was full of hate.
The character Boo Radley was a bit confusing. I could not quite follow the author's portrayal. It was a mystery that did not unravel until the end of the story. It was reassuring to find out that Boo turned out to be sweet and kind but an introverted soul.
Tom Robinson the alleged rapist's personal life was not really described until they went to trial. It was definitely unfortunate that he was the center of so much ignorance, prejudice and in my opinion, blindness which prohidited the pursuit of justice. The story was easy to read but difficult to follow. It was a little drawn out but once i became familiar with the characters I could not put it down.
The mockingbird that was mentioned repeatedly represents innocence. This novel makes us all look at innocence and try to understand it. It made us see how some people are capable of killing the innocent because of their own ignorance and prejudices. It also makes us realize how we judge those people who are different and eccentric like Boo Radley who turns out was more humane than the townspeople who feared him. We all began as children who look at things innocently but as we grow older are influenced by others that changed our opinion on how we think of people.

A thematic guide on Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird".......2002-05-01

Here in Duluth everybody in town is supposed to be reading Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," and there are all sorts of literary discussions, dramatic events, and the like going on all month long. In addition to rereading the novel, which is probably my favorite in American Literature, I have been looking over the various study guides available. Barron's "Literature Made Easy" guides are based on "modern scientific knowledge of how the brain works," which means not only using pictures and graphics, but unique "mind maps" that summarize details students need to learn. The idea with these is that you use them to take notes and develop a personal outline of your thoughts about the character and plot of the novel which branch out from a central point. Now, this might look a bit intimidating to me, but the goal is to build simple chains of key associations regarding what is happening in a novel and what it means. Ah, the joys of 21st century education.

This book, written by Mary Hartley, also makes use of icons for key themes from Harper Lee's novel: growing up is a cake, courage is a heart, racial prejudice a face half black and half white, etc. A typewriter is used to highlight commentary about Lee's choice of words and imagery (i.e., style and language). These icons pop up during the commentary section so that students can trace the develop and interaction of the various themes. The guide begins with some background on the author and the time in which "To Kill a Mockingbird" is set, followed by a synopsis, a discussion of the main characters, and an overview of the main themes of the novel.

The commentary section breaks each chapter into sections. For example, Chapter 1 is broken down into The start of it all, Atticus and the Finch family, Dill's arrival, Boo and the Radleys, and "Just go up and touch the house." Each section starts with the first and last sentence that define it, followed by a list of what happens in that part, commentary, and questions marked with stars which young readers are supposed to stop and think about. In comparison to similar study guides, such as Cliffsnotes, this approach has the key values of inviting active participation from the readers and dealing with more discrete units within each chapter. The little pieces add up to some significant whole without the students realizing what is going on.

The back of the book has Topics for Discussion and Brainstorming, suggestions on How to Get an "A" in English Literature (which probably translates to American Lit as well), an Exam Essay, a Model Answer and Essay Plan, Glossary and Index. My feeling is that this book is geared more towards junior high students, which is fine since that was the grade level at which I taught "To Kill a Mockingbird." Teachers can certainly find some useful things to emphasize in class discussions, even if students are not using the guide. Other volumes in the "Literature Made Easy Series" look at "Animal Farm," "Julius Caesar," "Lord of the Flies," "MacBeth," "Of Mice and Men," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Romeo and Juliet."

This book is sensational!.......1999-06-02

To Kill a Mocking Bid is definitely one of the best books in American history. It clearly describes the unjust discrimination against the blacks in the south in the 1930's. It taught me alot about racism in the south. I really admire Atticus Finch, the main character in this novel, he stepped up to defend a black man despite losing all his friends and reputation.

A wonderful book for all ages........1999-05-07

Great life lessons, on racism and hate. It makes you sympathetic towards the outsiders.

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Tightly written with a message for everyone

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Manufacturer: J.B. Lippincott Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000EOJ2IS

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Tightly written with a message for everyone.......2006-09-15

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