Quotations and Literature Forum

Hi there,

I'm doing a project at school on 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' by Harper Lee. If anyone knows any interesting facts about her, her life, her childhood, or what inspired her to write the book etc... could you please tell me.

Thanks for your help

I don't know any facts, but To Kill a Mockingbird is a great book.

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"The Man In Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed."
-Stephen King

I know a little about her. My grandmother grew up a proper Southern belle and this was one of her favourite books - in fact, she named my father Leon so she could call him Lee. We read it together, but when I went to high school, I learned a little bit more about Harper Lee as I had to read it for English literature.

What I do know (because we had to read Capote's book shortly after) is that she helped him research In Cold Blood. Dill was based on Capote's childhood friend and Finch was Lee's mother's maiden name (I've always concluded that as 'Finch' was her 'mother' that is why she chose to tell the story through the eyes of Scout - it's a suggestion, but was never actually confirmed by Lee).

Google the 'Scottsboro Trial.' It's the actual trial where she distilled the plot for the story from - it's a rape trial (White women accusing two African American men). I'm sure there's tons on the Internet about Lee. Just do a google search and there will be plenty about her.

Thank you. very helpful

I believe that Harper Lee was a lawyer who grew up in the south - not unlike Attitus Finch. There are some good sites on the net that might help u - that's how I found out about her. I am training to be a high school teacher, and when I was writing a teaching unit for assessment last year I used To Kill a Mockingbird as the focus of the unit. That's why I was looking up a site for her. She is a very interesting lady. I think her father was also a lawyer. He must have been an insightful type of person to allow his daughter to be educated. Hope this helps you.

I read this book about three years ago, and I think I remeber someone telling me that Atticus is based off Lee's father.

Hi, fairydust. There's a book out currently, named "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee," written by Charles Shields. This book may lead you in the right direction.

I read To Kill a Mockingbird, many years ago, but it remains one of my favorite books. When, at the end, Scout says "Hey, Boo"...and Atticus tells her "Mr.Arthur, darling" the little hairs at the nape of my neck always rise...I don't know, to me its just one of THOSE moments. Harper Lee was considered a radical in her time...she was a proper lady from the South, yet, she did not act like one....she was all for integration, totally against racism and was very liberal in her views on women's rights. We may say she was one of the first feminists, in a good, non-judging way. I admire her enormously, because she dared to say what she thought, and fought for it... and couldn't care less if it made her look unfemenine, which I believe it did not, and was considered one of the ultimate transgretions is the South..... Who else but a liberated soul could dream up a nickname like Scout, when the real name was Jean-Louise?

I FORGOT, BY ALL MEANS, GET THE MOVIE....... MR. PECK''S OSCAR IS ONE OF THE SOUNDEST DECISIONS OF THE ACADEMY. THE WHOLE MOVIE IS REMARKABLY GOOD, BUT MR. PECK IS A GENIUS. HE IS THE ATTICUS I IMAGINED WHEN I FIRST READ THE BOOK. DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS BOOK, CAUSE I CAN GO ON , AND ON....THIS BOOK AND ROMULO GALLEGO'S DONA BARBARA, IN SPANISH, WERE THE TWO BOOKS I CHOOSE FOR MY MA THESIS, I WAS AN ENG. LT. MAJOR AND NOW TEACH HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE BASIC AND INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH. OF ALL THE CHARACHTERS, I THINK STEPHANIE CRAWFORD REPRESENTS MS. LEE IN THE STORY, SPECIALLY WHEN SHE PUTS THOSE BIBLE HUGGING RELIGIOUS FANATICS WHO SEE HER WORKING IN HER GARDEN IN THEIR WAY TO COURT, VERY NICELY IN THEIR PLACE WITH A BEAUTIFUL BIBLE QUOTE AGAINST THEIR ODIOUS ONES.