Feb 19, 2016 Harper Lee, whose debut novel, "To k--- a Mockingbird," immortalized her name with its story of justice and race in a small Southern town and became a classic of American literature, has died. She was 89. Her death was confirmed Friday by the City Hall in Monroeville, Alabama, where she lived. In a statement, Lee's family said, "The family of Nelle Harper Lee, of Monroeville, Alabama, announced today, with great sadness, that Ms. Lee passed away in her sleep early this morning. Her passing was unexpected. She remained in good basic health until her passing. The family is in mourning and there will be a private funeral service in the upcoming days, as she had requested." Added nephew Hank Conner in the statement, "This is a sad day for our family. America and the world knew Harper Lee as one of the last century's most beloved authors. We knew her as Nelle Harper Lee, a loving member of our family, a devoted friend to the many good people who touched her life, and a generous soul in our community and our state. We will miss her dearly." Reaction from people moved by Lee's work, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Congressman John Lewis (both Alabama natives), actor Matthew Modine, author John Green and Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, who had been jailed in Iran, was swift. Her publisher, Harper Collins, also released a statement. "The world knows Harper Lee was a brilliant writer but what many don't know is that she was an extraordinary woman of great joyfulness, humility and kindness," said the company's president and publisher, Michael Morrison. "She lived her life the way she wanted to- in private- surrounded by books and the people who loved her. I will always cherish the time I spent with her." "Mockingbird," which was published in 1960, was drawn from elements of Lee's childhood in Monroeville. In steady prose shaded by memory and lyricism, she describes how an impulsive girl, Scout Finch, her older brother, Jem, their friend Dill and a variety of other townspeople get caught up in the case of Tom Robinson, a black man who's been accused of r--- in the Depression-era town of Maycomb, Alabama. Through it all, no character is more indelible than that of Scout's widower father, Atticus Finch. The scrupulous, fair-minded lawyer who defends the falsely accused Robinson in a racist courtroom set a standard for goodness and bravery that still resonates more than 50 years later. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand," Atticus says to Scout at one point. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see through it no matter what." The book won the Pulitzer Prize, and Gregory Peck, who played Atticus in the acclaimed 1962 movie, earned an Oscar for best actor. Finch was named the greatest hero in movie history in a 2003 American Film Institute survey. His reputation is such that a 2010 poll by the American Bar Association Journal was titled "The 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers (Who Are Not Atticus Finch)." An earlier draft of the book, titled "Go Set a Watchman," was published in 2015. The book was criticized for a different portrayal of Atticus, who voices racist sentiments, and questions arose as to whether Lee actually wanted it released. Differences between 'Mockingbird,' 'Watchman' Despite mixed reviews, the book was one of the top sellers of 2015. Throughout all this, Lee maintained a low profile. She had assisted her friend Truman Capote, the basis for Dill, while he researched his novel "In Cold Blood," and though he reveled in the praise and fortune that came with fame, she resisted it. "I never expected any sort of success with 'Mockingbird,'" she told critic Roy Newquist for an interview published in 1964. "I didn't expect the book to sell in the first place. I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of reviewers, but at the same time I sort of hoped that maybe someone would like it enough to give me encouragement. Public encouragement. I hoped for a little, as I said, but I got rather a whole lot, and in some ways this was just about as frightening as the quick, merciful death I'd expected." Even as "Mockingbird" became a fixture on high school reading lists and demands for her became ever more pronounced, she took shelter in New York and Alabama, hiding in plain sight. It wasn't that she was reclusive, exactly; it's that she preferred to let her work speak for itself. At one event in her honor -- and there were many -- she was asked to address the audience at the Alabama Academy of Honor. She turned down the opportunity. "Well, it's better to be silent than be a fool," she said. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/entertainment/harper-lee-obit-feat/
Feb 19, 2016 To k--- a Mockingbird is one of those books that sticks with you, I read it when I was in junior high school definitely one of the most influential American novels of all time
Feb 19, 2016 To k--- a Mockingbird is a great book. I've read it twice. I'm grateful for Harper Lee's literary contribution with Mockingbird. I got halfway through her second novel 'Go Set A Watchman' that was released last year but put it down to read something else. I certainly need to return to that book in the near future.
Feb 19, 2016 I read it Sophomore year. They did a great adaption of it with the movie as well. I read something about them making somewhat of a sequel (?) to it. I don't know what the details were but I doubt it will happen now.
Feb 20, 2016 I read this book twice, once in 8th grade and again sophmore year of highschool. Fantastic book, one of the few books I actually enjoyed reading in school.
Feb 20, 2016 One of my favorite books, the movie was exceptional as well, dat ending scene when Scout finally meets Boo #feels
Feb 20, 2016 This whole thing was shady as f--- and gross. Her lawyer basically forced the new book out against her will (it was written over 50 years ago) and all it really did was damage her legacy, and now she suddenly dies a year later? okay lol
Feb 20, 2016 I haven't yet because I wanna re-read To k--- A Mockingbird first but i tend to get caught up reading 50 books at a time, but I will soon. It hasn't been very well received mostly because Atticus has apparently become a racist in this book, but it's still worth the read
