To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee first published To Kill a Mockingbird on July 11, 1960. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize and became very successful. Today it's considered a classic of modern literature. The book is filled with quaint Southern charm, but serious themes lay just beneath the surface.

I served as a missionary in the Philippines for a semester, teaching high school English at a private, Christian school established mainly to educate the children of Bible translators. The principal chose To Kill a Mockingbird for the seniors to read, even before he met me. I told him he couldn't have chosen a better novel for a Southern to teach. I hope my students had as much fun with the book as I did.

To Kill a Mocking Bird was Harper Lee's only published novel until Go Set a Watchman came out on July 14, 2015. Lee refused to make any public appearances after 1964. Still, her first book has had a huge impact on American culture, either as a novel, movie, or play.

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