Scout Finch lives with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in the sleepy Alabama

town of Maycomb. Maycomb is along with the rest of America is going through the suffering of the Great Depression. Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society. One summer, Jem and Scout make friens with a boy named Dill, who has come to live in their neighborhood for the summer, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place where the reclusice Arthur (nicknamed Boo) lived.The children build up many stories about Boo Atticus puts a stop to this , and explains to the children to try to see life from another persons viewpoint before making judgments. The children realize that Boo Radley deserves to live in peace, so they leave him alone. Later a fire breaks out in another neighbors house, and during the fire someone slips a blanket on Scouts shoulders as she watches the blaze. Convinced that Boo did it, Jem tells Atticus about thegood deeds of Boo The story takes a sharp turn when Atticus agrees to defend a black man named Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman. Because of this Jem and Scout are subjected to abuse from other children, Tom Robinsons trial begins, when he is placed in the local jail, a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus faces the mob down the night before the trial. Jem and Scout join him. Scout recognizes one of the men, and her questions him about his son, and shames him into breaking up the mob.

At the trial itself, the children sit in the colored balcony with the towns black citizens. Atticus provides clear and strong evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying He shows in court that Mayella made advances at Tom Robinson and on being caught by her father, accused Tom of rape The all-white jury convicts him. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from prison and is shot to death. Jem does not take this well and his faith in justice is badly shaken, and he slips into despair

Meanwhile Bob Ewell feels that Atticus and the judge have made a fool out of him, and he vows revenge. He menaces Tom Robinsons widow, tries to break into the judges house, and finally attacks Jem and Scout as they walk home from a Halloween party.

Boo Radley saves the children but stabs Ewell fatally during the struggle. Boo carries the wounded Jem back to Atticuss house, where the sheriff, in order to protect Boo, insists that Ewell tripped over a tree root and fell on his own knife. After sitting with Scout for a while, Boo disappears once more into the Radley house.

Scout embraces her fathers advice to practice sympathy and understanding She realizes that once you get to know them, most people are good and kind no matter what they seem like on the She ensures her experiences with hatred and prejudice will not colour her faith in human goodness.

Harper LEe She was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama (the fictional Maycomb, Alabama) Her father Amasa was a lawyer whom she deeply admired Her mothers maiden name was Finch Her own childhood mirrors that of the character Scout In 1960 she published her only novel To Kill a Mockingbird It received the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1961 Since 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird has never been out of print At age 81, she is alive and resides in New York She rarely makes public appearances or gives interviews