To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. A coming of age story, it is told from the point of view of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, the young daughter of Atticus Finch, an educated lawyer in Maycomb, a small town in the deep South of the United States. The protagonist and her brother Jem watch as her father defends a black man unfairly accused of rape in a racist community.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The story explores prejudice in its various forms, as well as childhood and growing up. Since the story is told from the point of view of a child, the author is able to present situations without adding an explicit opinion - the reader is left to make sense of events and come to their own conclusion. Nonetheless, it is clear that the author believes strongly that the prejudiced actions of the characters are wrong, even if they are believed by the majority and by those in power.

The title of the book is taken from Atticus' advice to his children about firing their air rifles at birds: "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". The blue jay is a very common bird, and is often perceived as a bully and a pest, whereas mockingbirds do nothing but "sing their hearts out for us". Metaphorically, several of the book's characters can be seen as "mockingbirds", attacked despite doing nothing but good.

The book was adapted into an award-winning movie in 1962, directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, with Brock Peters as Tom Robinson, the man he defends. The movie was also the screen debut of actor Robert Duvall. It received three Academy Awards, including that of Best Actor. It was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1995.

The character of Boo Radley - a mysterious neighbor who lives alone in his dark house and is feared by the local children - gave his name to the popular British band The Boo Radleys.