To Kill a Mockingbird Audiobook

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, explores both coming of age and civil rights and racism in the 1930s segregated Southern United States. The story is told through the perspective of Scout Finch. Through her eyes, readers learn about her father, Atticus Finch, an attorney who desperately tries to prove the innocence of a black man accused of sexual assault. The title of the story is a hint into the themes and message of the story. Lee believes the townspeople are responsible for the unjust, immoral killing of Tom Robinson.

The novel’s most important theme is the exploration of good and evil, dissecting whether people are naturally moral or immoral. Harper Lee approaches this theme through Scout and Jem’s transition from childhood naivety to an understanding of evil in the world in adulthood. From this, the author illustrates the deadly consequences minorities and innocent people face in a world teeming with hate, prejudice and ignorance.

Atticus Finch is the embodiment of a moral voice, as he has experienced and understood evil while still holding onto his faith in humanity’s capacity for goodness. Part of Scout's coming of age journey and development follows her gradual understanding of the lessons Atticus teaches her. Throughout her childhood, he teaches her about the importance of conscience, and that one does not need to lose hope. Therefore, Lee explores the significance of moral education, and how important it is for children as they grow into adults. Our values, prejudices, and attitudes are ultimately developed in childhood, taught by society and adults around us. These prejudices can pose real threats and consequences to decision-making in adulthood. Harper Lee highlights this point during Tom Robinson’s trial, where the judge selects an all-white jury. Despite any evidence proving his innocence, the jury’s hate, and prejudice towards Tom, who is a black man, motivates their guilty verdict.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is an excellent narrative on the complexities and consequences of living in a hateful and racist society. She seamlessly tells a coming-of-age story alongside the civil rights and racism story, using sophisticated vocabulary and sentences that have captured generations since its publication in 1962. This story is forever relevant to a diverse society and a thought-provoking read for anyone in 2023 and beyond.

"I had to read this book in high school, a long time ago, and had forgotten most of it. It was even better than I remembered it! The southern accent of the reader is a great touch, and so is the music between chapters. "

— gracefild (5 out of 5 stars)