Nelle Harper Lee Mrs. Drum

Background Born April 28, 1926 Grew up in Monroeville, Alabama, in the heart of the South, where racial tension was high She was a tomboy, much like Scout Truman Capote was a childhood friend (Dill is believed to be based on him) In high school, Lee developed an interest in English She attended Huntingdon College and transferred to University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa In her junior year, Lee was accepted into the university's law school She went to Oxford University in England that summer When she returned from England, Lee dropped out and moved to New York City to become a writer.

Background In NYC, she struggled for several years but did reunite with Truman Capote, one of the literary rising stars of the time. She also became close with Broadway composer and lyricist Michael Martin Brown and his wife. – In 1956, they gave her an extraordinary Christmas gift—they would support her financially for a year so that she could quit her job and write full time. – The Browns also helped her obtain her agent, Maurice Crain. Crain was able to get publisher interested in her first novel, which was titled Go Set a Watchman, then Atticus, and later To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee finished the manuscript in 1959, and continued working with Capote on his book In Cold Blood.

Outlier Explanation In July 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird was published and picked up by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Literary Guild. It received rave reviews and and quickly climbed the bestseller lists, where it remained for 88 weeks. In 1961, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck. In 2007, President Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2011, President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Arts. She has led a quiet and guardedly private life until this past February: Go Set a Watchman, technically her first book, will be published for release in July.

Theory The Matthew Effect It is those who are successful… who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success.” Harper Lee’s “Special Opportunities” Friendship with Truman Capote – Experience working on In Cold Blood – Making connections in NYC Relationship with the Browns – Allowed her to write full-time – Connected her to an agent

Theory Advantageous Era of Birth Lee was born right before the Great Depression – She experienced the hardships of the time, through the eyes of a child (the narrator) – She witnessed the brutal racial tension of the South during Jim Crow These experiences allowed Lee to accurately write a novel about the time and likenesses to real events.

Reflection Was her success fair? Yes, she did work very hard to reach her goal of becoming a writer, and she is clearly very skilled. Even though she did have the advantage of connections that others did not have, her book was extremely successful because of her talent, not because of her relationships. Others can benefit There might be other people like Harper Lee who have the talent but haven’t yet been found or can’t afford to move to NYC or have an agent. These aspiring writers would benefit from opportunities that Lee had. What can we learn? Others can learn that sometimes you do have to have the right connections to get you where you need to go, but ultimately, it’s your talent that makes you successful.

Bibliography Grossman, Lev. “Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman Will Realign the Literary Universe.” Time.com. Time. 3 Feb Web. 27 Feb "Harper Lee." Bio. A&E Television Networks, Web. 27 Feb