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An introduction to To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. “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.” ~ Atticus Finch.
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An introduction toTo Kill A Mockingbirdby Harper Lee “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.”~ Atticus Finch
At the Bunch of Grapes bookstore on Martha’s Vineyard, the sojourning President Obama bought a few books, including “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. It was for his daughter, but it may have also conjured a sweet memory for the beleaguered president. Only a couple of years ago, when he was campaigning, Obama inspired comparisons with the noble lawyer Atticus Finch. TKAM in the news
Plotting TKAM • Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird begins at the end. The whole book unforlds – in no special hurry, with lifelike indirection. • The book has two plots that run parrallel: The first plot revolves around Arthur “Boo” Radley, who lives in a shuttered house down the street. He’s rumored to be some kind of monster. • The second story concerns the attorney Atticus Finch, who is appointed by the judge to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white woman.
Understanding the Times The 1930s More than 25 percent of labor force unemployed during worst years of the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt wins presidency with promise of his “New Deal,” 1932 The Scottsboro Boys trials last from 1931-37. Nelle Harper Lee is 4 when they begin.
The 1940s Jackie Robinson signs baseball contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947. President Truman ends segregation in the military and discrimination in federal hiring. Harper Lee moves to NYC to become a writer.
The 1950s Brown v. Board of Education rules school segregation unconstitutional. Rosa Parks refuses to surrender her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, 1955. Lee accompanies Truman Capote to Kansas as “researchist” for his book In Cold Blood.
The early 1960s TKAM published July 11, 1960. The film follows in 1962 and wins Oscars for best actor, screenwriter, and set design. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers I Have a Dream speech on Aug. 28, 1963. MLK wins Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
