To Kill A Mockingbird

The book, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was influential and truthful. It dives deep into the subject of racism, and gives you a taste of how cruel it could be. It shows how in the 1950's, ones color of skin showed the type of person you were. It could influence people to hate or like you, or belittle or praise you. It even decided if you were worthy enough to live, since one race thought they were superior and all around better than the other.

Many innocent lives were lost due to the egotistical ways of men, and it was a sad time for many families. But not only did the whites judge the blacks, they judged amongst their own race. Some whites were against racism, and tried their best to live with the blacks. These people were thought of as traitors to their race, and were treated no differently than the blacks were by their racial brothers.

That is how Scout's story begins. Scout is young, and innocent, brought up motherless, with a brother, a father, and a house maid who is also a friend.

Scout lives in the small Alabama town of Maycomb in the 1930s with her brother, Jem, and her widowed father, Atticus. Another presence in the house is the stern but ultimately kind-hearted African-American housekeeper named Calpurnia.

The story takes place during the depression, but the Finch family is better off than many in this small town, as Atticus is a successful and respected lawyer.