Harper Lee was born in 1926 and grew up in the Southern town of Monroeville, Alabama. There, she became close friends with Truman Capote, who became a famous writer later. She went to Huntingdon College in Montgomery (1944–45), and then studied law at the University of Alabama (1945–49). When she went to college, she wrote for literary magazines, like "Huntress" and "Rammer Jammer". At both colleges, she wrote short stories and other works about racial unfairness, which was not usually written about in colleges at the time. In 1950, Lee moved to New York City, where she worked as a clerk for British Overseas Airways Corporation. While she was there, she began writing essays and short stories about people in Monroeville. In 1957, Lee showed her writing to a literary agent whom Capote had told her about. An editor at J.B. Lippincott suggested to her that she should stop working at the airline and focus on writing instead. Her friends gave her money to help her continue writing for a year.
Lee spent two and a half years writing "To Kill a Mockingbird". The National Endowment for the Arts describes how Lee once became so unhappy that she threw her manuscript out the window into the snow. Her agent made her take her writing back again. The book was printed on July 11, 1960. It was first titled "Atticus", but Lee changed its name because the story was more than simply about one character. The editors at Lippincott told Lee that she would probably sell only several thousand copies. In 1964, Lee said, "I never expected any sort of success with 'Mockingbird.' ... I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers but, at the same time, I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement. Public encouragement. I hoped for a little, as I said, but I got rather a whole lot, and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I'd expected." Instead of a "quick and merciful death", "Reader's Digest Condensed Books" chose part of the book to be printed again. This immediately made many more people read it. After it was first published, the book never stopped being printed.
To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Alabama Author Harper Lee in 1960. The story comes from the perspective of 8 year old girl Scout Finch, she has an older brother, Jem, who is 4 years her elder. They live with their father , Atticus, who is a lawyer and they are looked after by Calpurnia, their black maid during the day. The story takes place in a sleepy little town called Maycomb, in Alabama, it takes place during the Great Depression (1933-1935). At the beginning of the story Scout and Jem are introduced to Dill, he comes to live with his aunt every summer. The kids are intrigued by a person they call Boo Radley (real name, Arthur Radley), the rumor around the town is that Boo only goes outside of his house at night and hunts squirrels with his bare hands. Dill thinks of a plan to lure him out and dares Jem to pound on the front door, Jem refuses but Dill calls him a coward, Jem has not backed out of a dare since he was born so he ends up doing it. After pounding on the door they all run back to their own house, but for a split second Scout swears she saw a flicker of light in the house, as if they were being watched. Now the kids have grown obsessed with the house, they wonder what Boo looks like and why he doesn't come out. One night they try to break in from the back door to get a glimpse of Boo, however his brother Nathan Radley hears the commotion and fires a shot from his shotgun. the bullets don't hit but the kids learn their lesson.
When school starts Scout and Jem are ridiculed by the other kids because their father is protecting a black man, when they ask about it, Atticus tells them that is his client and his name is called Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of the rape of a young white woman. Scout and Jem don't understand why their father is defending a black man since it makes the entire town despise them. Around this time their Aunt Alexandra moves in to help take care of the kids, she doesn't approve of Atticus defending a black man. Every Christmas, the Finch family has a gathering at Finch's Landing, their great-grandfather's early home. There Atticus teaches Scout how to shoot a bb gun, but tells her to remember she can shoot all the bluejays she wants if she can hit them, but it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. As the date of the trial comes closer, the kids get a better understanding of the situation and why their father would deliberately choose to take this case if it meant the hardships he would have to ensure. There neighbour Miss Maudie tells them that though Atticus is old, he is still the strongest person in the town, and will take on the burden that no one in town will take.
On the day of the trial, Scout, Jem and Dill sneak into the amphitheater where they are having the hearing even though Atticus told them to stay home. They watch the trial on the porch with the colored people, they see Atticus but he doesn't see them. Atticus begins the trial politely and addresses the jury, Judge Taylor and the prosecutor in a well mannered way. Mayella Ewell and her father Bob Ewell are rash when Atticus shows more evidence and justification that Tom didn’t do anything, rather it was Bob Ewell who hit his daughter when he found the pair together. Atticus creates an image of the Ewells for the jury, a family with no mother, an alcoholic father and 7 kids living in a small dilapidated house lacking many essentials. The Ewell’s don’t have any defense rather than he said she said, but the jury still finds Tom guilty. Atticus leaves promptly after the trial and takes the kids with him, he is bitter but he does see light in the dark situation. He tells the kids that he’s angry about what the verdict was, however the jury deliberated for a couple hours before reaching a decision. Normally when a black man was accused by a white man, the verdict would be guilty, no questions asked, in a matter of seconds. Atticus says today was a small step forward, the children are upset about the extreme racism that they witnessed especially Jem, who pukes at the thought of the situation. Jem asks his neighbour Miss Maudie how a world like this "could exist" and how they could treat a person like that. She tells him that it might seem at times the entire town is racist and evil, but there are always good people even when it seems everything is dark. She also reminds Jem that Judge Taylor chose Atticus for this case , because he also hopes to see some change in this town. Jem nods, and before he goes to sleep he tells Scout that he’s beginning to understand why Boo Radley doesn’t leave his house.