To Kill a Mockingbird, the classic historical fiction novel written by Harper Lee, was originally published in 1960. Harper Lee was born on April 28th, 1926, in Monroe, Alabama. The events in Lee’s life were a great influence in the events and characters in the book. One significant event that greatly influenced the book was the Scottsboro Boys Trial, where nine african american teens were accused of raping two white women in 1931. On the character side, Lee’s father was a lawyer and a state legislator, who was the basis of Atticus Finch who had the same occupation. One of Lee’s longtime childhood friends was the inspiration for the character Charles Baker “Dill” Harris. There are a few themes that one could say about this book, but I believe that the most important one is the nature of a human being morally. To Kill a Mockingbird displays numerous examples of racism, prejudice and bravery.

  The setting of the story is in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama. The author describes the town as “an old town, but it was a tired old town” ( Lee 5).  As this story is told through the eyes of a young and innocent girl, To Kill A Mockingbird tells the story about the events in the life a seven year old girl named Scout, in a small southern town surrounding the trial in which a black man is accused of raping a white girl. She lives with her older brother Jem, and her father Atticus Finch. They also have a friend that comes over every summer named Charles Baker or Dill Harris. As the plot progresses, the main characters grow and mature as they learn about the world. The characters not only grow and mature because of the events, but also by watching Atticus Finch, two of the main characters’ father.

     Personally, I absolutely loved To Kill a Mockingbird. I had heard so many great reviews both written and verbal over the course of my life, that when I finally got to read the book I felt as if I was accomplishing something off a bucket list. There are so many reasons why I love and most likely always will love (because I couldn’t think of a stronger word) To Kill A Mockingbird, however, one of my main reasons has to be how it offers light on the adage “Don’t judge a book by it's cover” through human nature. At the end of the book, Scout says to her father “Atticus, he was real nice” and her father replies “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them” (Lee 323). However, all books have good and bad things about them. The storytelling is realistic and bold, while the style is unrestricted and natural. Throughout the entire book I felt as if I was Scout and was experiencing all of these events for myself. I never wanted to put it down and after reading it, I honestly can’t wait to read it again and again.

       Although, In the beginning of the book, Lee drained the reader with long passages of history and background, along with confusing the reader by talking about a future event and then going back to move forward with the story. For example, when Scout starts school (1st grade) the days talked about are confusing, and they feel as if they are out of sequence. Also, some of the character’s personalities are a little difficult to dismantle, as the only character whose mind we get to see a peek of is Scout’s. This minor criticism does not change the way I feel about this book.

       Overall, To Kill A Mockingbird is definitely one of the most unique novels I have ever read. This book more than deserved to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, only a year after it was published. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading, especially about serious issues. Even till this day, To Kill A Mockingbird is considered one of the best novels of the 20th century.