Student Review: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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This book was a great book that took place back in the 1960s, and it would fall under the realistic fiction genre. The reason its falls under realistic fiction is because most of the events that occurred in the novel are real and believable, but some of them are not realistic.

The Finch’s live in a ghost town in the rural area of Alabama called Maycomb. The Finch family consisted of three people Jem (7), and Scout (6). Since they lived in a small town, they were able to make friends with everyone, except for Arthur (Boo) Radley. Legend has it that he killed his mom prior to Scout and Jem being born, and hasn’t come out of his house since. Meanwhile Atticus was a lawyer and a good one too. He was involved in a case with Tom Robinson, whom many accused of raping a girl, just because he was an African American, but you must read on to find out what happens with the case.

When I first started this book, it was a little bit confusing because of the time period in which it took place. I would suggest to Harper Lee to make the introduction better for younger audiences that haven’t experienced life in the 60s. But, after the first couple of chapters the story got interesting and kept me on my toes and wanting to read on. The reason I felt this way is because I could connect to some of the things Atticus would say to Scout or Jem, or relate to the things they did, such as build a tree house. 

Another great thing Harper Lee did was explain how life was in the 60s. She was able to show that blacks still haven’t gained all respect in the south, which helps readers of all ages figure what is happening and why. On the other hand a thing Lee could’ve improved on was explain what was happening during the trial case, and why. She could’ve used better words to explain what was happening in the moment to paint a better picture in the reader's mind.
This book is a great book for all ages. For the younger readers, it might be a little bit complicated because during the time period the book takes place in life is a whole different lifestyle than what is is today in 2014, but it’s great for the older readers that will understand the hard times humans had back in the day such as poverty.

All in all this is a great book, and I really enjoyed it. To Kill a Mockingbird really has everything from drama to fantasy. If you love to really enjoy your book, by being able to relate to things, then this is a great book for you.



- Andrew, RRHS Student