To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

"An unforgettable story of the violent, intolerant, eccentric, humorous and prejudiced Deep South seen through the eyes of children. Scout and Jem Finch lose their innocence when their lawyer father defends a negro charged with the rape of a white girl" reads the blurb. However, To Kill a Mockingbird doesn't focus on just this snippet of a story, it focuses on mainy things.

Along with the focus of South American prejudice against black people TKAM also focuses on how people can change through time and events, how they may not be who they seem and what can happen when one does something which a whole town will disagree on. Told through the eyes of a child who is yet to experience a lot in life this book is much more than just your bog-standard novel.

Some may assume from the blurb that the story is rather sinister but they will be proven wrong. Written also from life experience Lee tells it how it is was and still is.

I've had this book sat on my shelf for nine months gathering dust but after reading some rave reviews and others not so rave I decided to see for myself and right before I found out it was 50 years old this month so what better time to be reading it? I didn't know what to expect but I was hoping for a rave, and that I was given.

Unlike many other books I've read Lee has written with consistence and emotion that makes the reader also feel emotion and feel "inside" of the narrator. This is definately one of, if not the, best books I've read and one that I'm likely to pick up again more than once. Of course, the language is a bit tricky at times and some pages can drawl but if you can handle that this book is a recommendation for anyone (minus those who rely on the Sun/Daily Mail for true news).

Overall rating: 5/5

PS - sorry this isn't an amazing review, I'm hungry, tired and can't really think of how to word a review of a book like this.

PPS - If you want to learn to how to kill a mockingbird, this book isn't for you.