Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters: What Harper Lee's Book and the Iconic American Film Mean to Us Today Paperback – November 15, 2019

Book arrived on time and just as described.

This book enlarges upon the story itself to give a broader understanding of Harper Lee's contribution to American literature.

4+ Enlightening Stars for me! HARPER LEE - April 28, 1926 - Feb 19, 2016It's all here.....How it all came to be....the novel, the screenplay, the movie, and discussion of "America's Original National Sin......Slavery."Perhaps I'm the only one, but did NOT know TKAM was a semi-autobiographical work....that Lee's attorney father, A. C. Lee was the inspiration for Atticus....that he actually defended two African American men accused of murdering a white man and really was much like the character in real life....did NOT know why there was no maternal presence....that actor's Jem and Scout despised each other....that Truman Capote lived next door to Lee as a child and inspired the character Dill....that Lee played a big part in the writing of IN COLD BLOOD....And Holy Crap!....WOW!....how the character Boo and the presents in the knothole of a tree ended up a "key plot element."Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama, the youngest of four, a tomboy, a child of the depression era. She had a somewhat uneasy childhood, and as she grew older knew she wanted out of stifling small town life. She studied law at Oxford for a bit to please her beloved father, hated it, decided to try to become a writer and moved to Manhattan.First published July 11, 1960, a now 33 year old Lee struggled over a decade to complete TKAM during a volatile time in America when the civil rights movement was hot and heavy, and little did she know that over time her success would be one of both pride and misery. She disliked the spotlight and interviews with a passion even giving a big NO to Oprah....but they did have lunch."My book had a universal theme. It's not a "racial" novel. It portrays an aspect of civilization, not necessarily southern civilization....It's a novel of a man's conscience....universal in the sense it could happen to anybody, anywhere people live together." - - - Harper Lee, The BirminghamOh so many fun tidbits of trivia here: How Lee came by Harper as a middle name....why she decided to use it instead of Nelle at time of publication....that the entire town of an atmospheric 1932 Maycomb was built and filmed on a 15 acre back lot of universal for $225k...and if you own the flick, check out the reflection of a crew member in the marble playing scene....I intend to. Fun stuff!So.....Interesting, VERY informative, VERY DETAILED to include casting, actors, producers, directors, their personal lives, etc. etc. etc. and there's even a breakdown of EACH scene in the movie with much discussion of WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS.TKAM began "a multi-generational national discussion of race in a way no one anticipated" that is still so very relevant today.

I've enjoyed Tom Santopietro's books about the movies and the stars (The Sound of Music Story, Considering Doris Day, etc.), so I was looking forward to his treatment of To Kill a Mockingbird. I have to give him credit, he tackled all the controversial aspects of the book and the movie and didn't shy away from discussing them from several angles.The first part of the book details Harper Lee's life and her writing of the novel. Following the "discovery" of Go Set a Watchman, we all learned many of the details he writes about here, but there's still a few tidbits I didn't know about. The movie then takes up the bulk of the book, and there's also some film and literary criticism.As usual, Santopietro includes lots of interesting facts such as who was considered for the big roles (Atticus Finch -- Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner(!), how everyone got along on the set, why Harper Lee didn't write the screenplay, and what happened to the cast following the massive success of the movie.Where the book gets bogged down, in my opinion, is the serious discussion of whether To Kill a Mockingbird (book and film) is racist, why it has resonated for so many years (at least among white audiences), and if it still has the power to do so. It seems clear from the book's title that Santopietro wanted to make the case that the story is important and relevant, and I had never questioned that...until I read this book. Surely the time has come and gone that a hero against racism is a white man who, while admirable in his intentions, fails to win acquittal for his client and then fails to prevent him from being murdered. The black characters in the story have virtually no power at all to exert. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the black characters are just sketches, not fully developed, although in Go Set a Watchman, we see Calpurnia in her own home, shockingly failing to be grateful to her white employers.While I did not agree with all of Santopietro's analysis of movie and novel, I very much enjoyed having my own opinions rearranged through reading this book.(Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy.)

My student loved the book.

I am one of several generations of students who read To Kill a Mockingbird in eighth grade. I have reread the book several times since and it remains one of my favorites.I found this new book interesting and informative. I found much of the background information surprising. I was under the impression the story was filmed on location. I didn’t realize it was actually done on a studio backlot. The personalities involved were intriguing also, especially those working behind the cameras and behind the scenes.I am surprised to find anyone rejecting the book as racist. I think we were required to read it as children because of its inherent indictment of racism.The book contained small errors. The author described a house as a “ gunshot “ design. It is actually a shotgun design. Another example is the statement that Atticus shot a rabid dog with a shotgun. The actual weapon used was a sporterized Krag Jorgenson rifle. I mention this because the actual scene is an excellent example of the filmmaker’s attention to detail, especially the middle aged Atticus fumbling with his glasses as he prepared to fire.Some of the contemporary criticism of the book related seems hard to justify. One author is described as condemning TKAM without ever bothering to read it. Let’s see if he writes a bestseller that remains in print for sixty years.Fans who prize Harper Lee’s novel stand to learn a lot from this book. Highly recommended.

Those are my wife's words which I believe say it all. She is a huge fan of the movie and Gregory Peck. She even contemplating naming our only daughter scout! Looking forward to reading it myself.