To Kill a Mockingbird

Set in fictional Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s at a time of unrest – the town is divided by race and class – the narrative is told through the eyes of Scout, a young girl whose father, Atticus, has been employed to defend a black man convicted of the rape of a young white woman. It’s a case that shocks and divides the town – many are appalled that Atticus would concede to defend him. But he represents bravery and measured consideration – Atticus stands as the moral compass at the centre of the prose – and he feels no compromise in his decision. It’s a trial fraught with emotion, propelled along by rage: it becomes clear that the man is innocent, but despite the evidence that’s put forward, a jury convicts him. He loses his life during an attempt to escape.