During his farewell address, President Barack Obama states, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."  These words of wisdom, a useful truth, allude to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which tells a story of young siblings, Scout and Jem Finch, and their loss of innocence due to their cultural exposure in their society.  While on their coming of age journey, Atticus Finch, their father, agrees to defend an African-American man accused of raping a white woman. Harper Lee’s brilliant and dramatic work teaches readers about racial inequality and also develops charming characters like Scout Finch.  To Kill a Mockingbird successfully entertains readers due to the author’s outstanding craftsmanship and ear for words.
         

Harper Lee’s novel informs readers about the immorality of racial inequality through an insightful prose.  Segregation is at its peak during the novel’s time frame, and the entire town views Atticus and even his children as “dishonorable citizens” when Atticus agrees to defend Tom Robinson’s case.  A boy in Scout’s class, Cecil Jacobs, verbally attacks the Finch family in reference to Atticus’s moral support that all individuals are equal, “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace” (Lee 102). The author stresses the severity of the issue through the Finch’s denounced beliefs.  Maycomb County’s deep roots of racial inequality become another battle aside from the trial, which adds to the book’s intensity and compels readers to understand the issue.  The author, Harper Lee, has a gift for storytelling, as she communicates this dehumanization and the remainder of the novel with fluidity. 
       

Harper Lee develops compassionate characters like Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch.  In the beginning of the novel, Scout establishes herself as a curious child and does not understand others’ perspectives.  For example, Walter Cunningham, a boy in Scout’s class, accidentally gets Scout in trouble, and she responds with childish behavior, “Catching Walter Cunningham in the dirt gave me some pleasure, but when I was rubbing his nose in the dirt Jem came by and told me to stop” (Lee 30).  Scout Finch is a notable and easy-to-love character because of her captivating innocence.  The author uses conflicts that occur in the novel such as the trial, segregation, and the evils of the townspeople to advance Scout’s character in terms of maturity, but more specifically her cultural understanding of her social environment.  The unfolding of the incidents, which prompts Scout’s maturity, results in a fascinating page-turner.
       

 Overall, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird deserves its contribution to the ideal, classic American novel.  Through a reading exposure of segregation, loss of innocence, cruelty, and discrimination, the novel teaches readers a number of crucial truths.  Appealing to readers of all interests, this unforgettable novel is sold online at Barnes and Nobles.