Introduction
- written by author Harper Lee, published 1960
- To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel of the genres bildungsroman and civil rights movement
- memorable characters are used to depict racism and civil rights movement in a small-town in the rural South of the United States
- coming-of-age story of an intelligent, unconventional girl
- narrated by the protagonist Scout Finch whose father attempts to prove the innocence of a black man accused of rape
- set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s
- topics addressed in the novel: civil rights, racism, bravery, transcending into adult world, good vs. evil, femininity, perception, superstition
- enormously popular novel, translated into over 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide
- praised for its sensitive treatment of a child being exposed to racism and prejudice in the American South