April 28: Birthday of Harper Lee (1926)
Prayer Idea
Pray for authors who seek to write stories that touch people in a positive way.
History Note
Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was a lawyer and a distant relative of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. As a young man, Amasa Lee defended two African American men who were accused of murder. He lost the case.
Though she studied law at the University of Alabama and the University of Oxford, Harper Lee wanted to write. Some friends gave her money to focus on writing for a year. An editor helped her turn an early draft of stories into To Kill a Mockingbird, which was published in 1960.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about prejudice in a small southern town in the 1930s. Atticus Finch is a lawyer who agrees to defend a black man accused of assaulting a white woman. The story is told from the perspective of Finch’s daughter, Jean Louise, who goes by the nickname Scout.
The novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961. It was turned into a popular movie in 1962. It has sold tens of millions of copies.
After finishing To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee provided research assistance for Truman Capote (a childhood friend) as he prepared to write the book In Cold Blood. Though Lee spent months working with Capote on the project, he barely acknowledged her contributions in the final publication.
After publishing a few essays in the 1960s, Harper Lee largely withdrew from public view. She never wrote and published another book. However, shortly before her death, an early version of her story about Scout Finch was published as Go Set a Watchman.
Harper Lee died in 2016.
This photo shows Harper Lee at the ceremony in 2007 where she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush. White House photo by Eric Draper.
Learn More
Gregory Peck starred as Atticus Finch in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird. In this clip, he talks about meeting Harper Lee during filming.
Listen to an interview with Harper Lee and find more resources at Homeschool History.
