Originally written December 11, 2011

To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a classic in literature, and for good reason. The book centers around a narrator named Scout Finch, who lives with her brother Jem and her father Atticus. The book has two main plots to it. The first is all about Scout and Jem, who along with their friend Dill are intrigued by their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. Boo never leaves his house, and so no one really knows what he looks like. And so the three kids explore who the man is and come up with their own crazy theories.

The second plot is more about Scout’s father, Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer, and he’s caught up in a very controversial case. He’s defending a black man named Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping a white girl. The book is set around the 20s or 30s in the south, so of course this was at a time where racism was huge. Atticus does his best to defend Tom against the injustices put against him.

So, the book deals a lot with how people are different from each other. There’s major themes of racism/injustice, and other things of that nature. There are some really interesting conversations and moments in the book. And honestly, Tom Robinson’s trial was one of the most intense things I’ve read, at least in terms of court trials. I got so excited while reading it.

This was a book that I had to read in high school, and it’s honestly one of the best books I’ve had to read for school. Compared to a lot of the other crap they made us read, To Kill a Mockingbird stands out as one of the good ones. It’s not perfect, and it also drags in a few parts. But they’re not many. And really, I don’t typically like these kinds of books, but I really enjoyed this one, and for that it gets points.

4.5/5