To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Writing in the voice of Jean Louise, affectionately known as ‘Scout’, Harper Lee shows us the reality of life in the southern states of the U.S.A. in the 1930s. Published in 1960, it served to shame those people still harbouring a need to treat Negroes as second-class citizens. It struck to the very heart of the issue of racial injustice, while retaining a warmth and humour that shine through.

The narrator’s father, lawyer Atticus Finch, was something of a local hero, but not everyone agreed with his defence of a black man accused of rape. Undoubtedly innocent of the crime, Tom Robinson was still charged and tried. Atticus earned the respect of many, even his opponents, with his heartfelt plea to society to give the black man a chance. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ serves a reminder to us all about the preservation of fairness and equality. The issues that Harper Lee wrote about in the 1950s are as relevant today as they were then.

Michael Braccia