‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is a story upon a story. The story takes place over a period of three years in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. With nothing to do, Scout Finch and her brother Jem resort to creating their own idea of entertainment. One of these includes exploring the hidden secrets of Boo Radley, their neighbor who never leaves his house. In the midst of Scout’s childhood, her father Atticus is called into court to represent a slave accused of beating a woman. By the end of the story the reader has learned a multitude of valuable lessons.

Although originally published over 50 years ago, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ has some modern lessons. The first one of course, is the lesson of growing up, and how people around you change along with yourself in this phase of life. The next lesson deals with the topic of prejudice, which is a common problem still to this day. Finally, there’s the classic lesson of ‘don’t just a book by its cover’ taught in the book.

Most people assume this book is literally about killing a mockingbird, but as the story goes on, the reader can conclude the mockingbird is actually symbolism.

The story is best fit for teenagers, since it is a ‘coming of age’ book. However, it is not recommended for children due to the mature topics discussed in the book. This story isn’t just a story, it’s a learning experience. Recently, the sequel to this book, ‘Go Set a Watchman’ was published. I have not read the sequel, but I plan on reading it in the near future.

This book is definitely one of my favorite books to ever read. I thought at first since it was for an English project it’d be boring, but I actually fell in love with it. I read half of the book in a single day because I couldn’t stop! The story is very intriguing and definitely a book I’d recommend to fellow peers.