Guide Note:

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a contemporary Southern Gothic novel. It ranks 41st on the American Library Association's 100 Most Challenged Books (banned books) list. The central plot revolves around the trial of an innocent black man accused of murder in a predominately white Southern town.

Fast Facts:

1. Author: Harper Lee
2. Publication date: July 11, 1960
3. Narration: First person autobiographical
4. Awards: Pulitzer Prize (1961)
5. Translated into 10 different languages
6. Sold over 30 million copies
7. Most widely read American novel of the 20th century
8. Taught in most U.S. schools
9. Paperback and hardcover versions have never been out of print

Plot Synopsis

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place during the great depression of the 1930s, and is narrated by a six year old boy nick-named "Scout", who is one of the primary characters. His father is Atticus Finch, who is a lawyer in the town. When a black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white woman, Atticus is assigned the role of defending the accused. During the trial he proposes that the accusation stems from racial issues rather than rape. He establishes the fact that the woman had affections for Tom of which her father disapproved. Despite these issues, Tom is convicted and shot trying to escape. Throughout the novel we see the issues of racism as the children in the story (Scout and friends) seek to understand the injustice that has been done.