To Kill A Mockingbird is a southern novel that is universal in theme, prejudice, injustice, and through it all, hope.

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2005)

To Kill A Mockingbird remains one of the best movies ever made. Although some liberties are taken with certain characters in the story, the movie continues to compliment the novel. As I read the book with my ninth grade students, the images of Atticus Finch, Scout, and Jim appear in my mind and my thoughts are associated with the actors in the movie. A then young novice, Robert Duval, becomes Boo Radley. The timely message of the novel and the important events that surround its conception make this movie a classic in every sense of the word. The trial of the Scottboro Boys comes to mind, and I can't help but think that Harper Lee reviewed the headlines and knew the story well. Certainly, we are all obligated to remember the details of that injustice in conjunction with the ever present lesson of To Kill A Mockingbird, "Injustice exists, and it is hopefully never forgotten or forgiven."