To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Harper Lee  Born April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama  Finished To Kill a Mockingbird in 1959  Became a bestseller  Won the Pulitzer Prize

Harper Lee  Was the youngest of four children  Grew up a tomboy in a small town  Father was a lawyer, a member of the state legislature, and also owned part of a local newspaper  Lee’s mother suffered from a mental illness and rarely left the house  Many believe it was bipolar disorder

Harper Lee  Grew up with fellow author Truman Capote  Often defending him from boys his own age  Both shared difficult home lives  Capote lived with his mother’s relatives after his parents abandoned him

Harper Lee  Lee developed an interest in English Literature in high school  She attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery  Stood apart from her peers due to her appearance and behavior  Was a member of the literary honor society and glee club

Harper Lee  In 1962, Horton Foote wrote a screenplay based upon To Kill a Mockingbird  It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards  It won 4 Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Gregory Peck’s portrayal of Atticus Finch

Harper Lee  By the mid-1960’s, Lee was supposedly working on a second novel, but it was never published  She helped Capote write an article and subsequent nonfiction book called In Cold Blood  When it was published, it was dedicated to Lee, but Capote did not fully acknowledge her work on the novel

Harper Lee  Lee continues to live a quiet life between New York City and Monroeville  She typically avoids anything to do with her novel

4 Corners Nobody is all good or all bad.

4 Corners Girls should act like girls.

4 Corners Nobody is all bad or all good.

4 Corners Some words are so offensive that they should never be stated or written.

4 Corners Speaking standard grammar proves that a person is smart.

4 Corners No one is above the law.

4 Corners When the law does not succeed in punishing criminals, citizens should.

4 Corners Education is the great equalizer in our society.