A review by peridotdot
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Told from the point of view of a girl nicknamed Scout. As she grows from the age of 6 to 9. About the adventurers she gets up with her older brother Jem, and a neighborhood kid Dill that only visits in the summer. A mysterious neighbor she has never seen called Boo Radley and the court case her lawyer father takes on in defense of a black man accused of raping a white woman.

Scout sees the world through the lens of innocence, understanding far more than she should at her age yet not fully understanding some things. We get a snapshot of a small town in America in the early 1930s, and we follow Scout as she gets introduced to racism, school and sexism. 

I understand why this has been required reading over the years in education. Harper Lee did a wonderful job giving genuine life into Scout and viewing the world through the lens of a child.