Here's The New York Times' original 1960 review of To Kill a Mockingbird


Fifty-five years after the release of her classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, it was announced today that Harper Lee will share another work with the world. Go Set a Watchman, which is essentially a sequel to Lee's much-loved first offering, will be released on July 14.
But before it won a Pulitzer Prize and staked a claim on middle school reading lists everywhere, To Kill a Mockingbird was just another book being reviewed by The New York Times. In the July 13, 1960 paper, reviewer Herbert Mitgang dubs Mockingbird "a winning first novel by a fresh writer with something significant to say."
Set in the 1930s in a fictional Alabama town, the book centers on the trial of a black rape suspect being defended by a white lawyer, Atticus Finch, who is also the father of the book's 9-year-old protagonist, Scout. Mitgang includes one of the book's most poignant exchanges, in which Scout questions Atticus about his souring reputation in their small community, to illustrate Lee's deft portrayal of "the opening of the eyes of Southern childhood to the dreary facts of Negro-white injustices." The novel "opens the chrysalis of childhood quietly and dramatically," he writes. "Miss Lee's original characters are people to cherish." Read the full review at The New York Times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Earth's seasons have gone wackadoodle
Under the radar It may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
How much does it cost to move? Here's how to budget and save.
the explainer Factors like move distance and the weight of your furnishings can affect the total cost — but there are several ways to economize
-
'The McDonald's menu board is one fascinating thing'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play