5/5 - Scout Finch and her brother, Jem, live in a small town in 1930's Alabama with their father, Atticus, and housekeeper, Calpurnia. A neighbor, Dill, joins them in the summers and the trio spend their time outdoors, thinking up ways to lure the mysterious Boo Radley outside. One day, Scout and Jem learn that Atticus, a lawyer, will be representing Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping and assaulting a white woman. Scout and Jem are harassed at school because of this, and their aunt eventually comes to live with them to help keep tomboy Scout out of trouble. Continued under spoilers... (view spoiler)[ The trial comes and goes (in an emotional scene that had me cheering for Atticus and furious at everyone else in the courtroom) and Tom, even though Atticus proves his innocence, is convicted of the crime. 
 Later on, Tom tries to escape jail but is shot and killed. Scout, Jem, and Dill are affected in various ways by the trial and learn important lessons. Slowly, life in Maycomb is returning to normal. However, Bob Ewell, the accuser's father and the one who actually assaulted her, is still furious with Atticus for publicly shaming him. He attacks Scout and Jem on their way home from a Halloween play. Boo Radley rescues the children, though Jem gets a broken arm, and kills Bob Ewell. Scout walks Boo back home after the Sheriff says, "There's black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it's dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch." Atticus reads a book to Scout until she falls asleep and spends the night watching over Jem. (hide spoiler)] 
 I appreciated the simplicity of the language. It felt like I was reading a story in the hot, humid South. The story flowed perfectly with Lee's writing style; it was straightforward and charming yet never boring. I think the simplicity is what made the message so powerful. 
 I'm just going to assume that people who don't like this book (if you can believe that) were probably forced to read it. I know some also think the characters were a little one-dimensional. I understand that argument, but don't completely buy it. Sure, Atticus was a perfect, can-do-no-wrong father figure, but I don't think it made him unbelievable. He had the weight of the world - or at least Alabama - on his shoulders. He had to hold himself at a high standard, especially for his children. 
 Scout was my favorite, with her tomboy tendencies and polite back-talking. I loved that I could read from the perspective of a child and not want to skim over her thoughts. Once, she referred to waiting as "two eternities later," or something similar, and I laughed out loud. One character I wanted to see more of was Tom. His main appearance was in the courtroom and Atticus' speech on Tom's behalf there broke my heart, so naturally I wasn't satisfied. But because it was Scout's story and she was so young, Tom was only there to be an innocent - a mockingbird. 
 The following are a couple of quotes I most appreciated: 
 "People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for." 
 "Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em. But remember it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird."