1960Pulitzer 1961
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee · 1926–2016 · United States
Why it matters
A lawyer defends a Black man falsely accused of rape in Depression-era Alabama, seen through his young daughter's eyes. Lee's only published novel for decades became American schools' most enduring lesson in moral courage.
At a glance
bildungsromantragedy
Difficulty 3/10fast pace336 pagesA plainspoken child narrator keeps prose accessible despite its serious themes.
Deep dive
Why a novel that indicts Maycomb's racism still centers a white lawyer as its moral compass — and how a 2015 discovery upended everything readers thought they knew about Atticus.
Where to go next
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