10 Things Even Huge Fans of to Kill a Mockingbird May Not Have Known
You might think you know everything you need to about Harper Lee's classic from reading it in school, but there's much more to know.Â
She was afraid of the attention her success had brought her and said that "sheer numbness" would come over her.Â
In 1964, Lee said she “Never expected any sort of success with Mockingbird. I didn't expect the book to sell in the first place.â€Â
There was a man in Monroeville, Alabama, where Lee grew up named Son Boulware who had many of the same characteristics as Boo Radley.Â
For Christmas one year, her friends, Joy and Michael Brown gave her enough money to write for year.Â
But he only saw the manuscript once.Â
The book was turned down by 10 different publishers. When it was finally picked up, editors to Lee that there wasn't enough unity between the beginning, middle and end.Â
Her father was also a lawyer, just like Scout's. He defended two African American men who were accused of murder.Â
Harper Lee modeled Dill after Truman Capote because they lived next to each other as children.Â
Many of the same characters appear in both books. An editor read Watchman and asked Lee to write a flashback from Scout's perspective and she wrote To Kill A Mockingbird.Â
There are lots of similarities between Lee's life and what happens in the book. Â The book also takes place in Alabama and the main character, Scout is a tomboy like Harper Lee.Â