Nelle Harper Lee: A Brief Analysis

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28th, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, where she was raised. Her father Frances Cunningham was a lawyer and local newspaper owner and her mother Amasa Coleman Lee suffered from bipolar disorder which made her rarely leave their house. Her parents had four other children in which Lee was the youngest. Lee grew up a tomboy and met a friend by the name of Truman Capote, although Capote was two years older they became the closest of friends. Capote was more sensitive and did not get along with boys his age so Lee helped protect him from bullies. Once Lee started attending Monroe County High School she found a passion for English literature and writing. Once Lee graduated she attended an all-female Huntingdon College then after a year she transferred to the University of Alabama where she studied law and wrote for the school’s newspaper. Lee left the

When her agent sent out a copy of the work in progress to many different publishers, a company by the name of J. B. Lippincott bought her novel. Lee started working with Therese von Hohoff Torrey to improve her book before they decided to publish, and after a few years they published the book but under a new name To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel was about a young girl named Scout, her brother Jem and their friend Dill. They want to investigate a mysterious man who lives down the street named Boo Radley, while at the same time their father is going through a rough racially motivated rape trial. After a year, this coming of age story won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and several other literary awards. To Kill a Mockingbird also was given a 1962 film adaptation that won three Academy Awards. The novel also became an classic and is still studied in Canadian and American high schools. Lee also wrote another novel which was a prequel for To Kill a Mockingbird called Go Set a