Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters: What Harper Lee's Book and the Iconic American Film Mean to Us Today (PB) (2019)

With forty million copies sold, To Kill a Mockingbird's poignant but clear-eyed examination of human nature has cemented its status as a global classic. Tom Santopietro's book Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters takes a 360-degree look at the Mockingbird phenomenon, both on page and screen. Santopietro traces the writing of To Kill a Mockingbird and the impact of the Pulitzer Prize, and he investigates both the claims that Lee's book is actually racist and the worldwide controversy surrounding the 2015 publication of Go Set a Watchman. Here too, for the first time, is the full behind-the-scenes story regarding the creation of the 1962 film, one that has entered the American consciousness in a way that few other films ever have. From the earliest casting sessions to the Oscars and the Fiftieth Anniversary screening at the White House, Santopietro examines exactly what makes the movie and Gregory Peck's unforgettable performance as Atticus Finch so captivating. As Americans yearn for an end to divisiveness, there is no better time to look at the significance of Harper Lee's book, the film, and all that came after.