A mysterious and elusive woman, Harper Lee, the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)," is the subject of this portrait by Charles J. Shields.A former English teacher, Shields set for himself the task of writing "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee," this compelling biography based on hundreds of interviews, piecing together a picture of this Southern woman who began life in Monroeville, Alabama, the child of an attorney, whose mother suffered from a condition most likened to a bipolar disorder. Growing up, she was known to family and friends as "Nelle." Lee enjoyed a tomboyish existence in the neighborhood, where she first met and became friends with Truman Capote. Their relationship lasted many years, although in later years, a strain hovered over this friendship—perhaps due to her success and his envy.In her early years in NY, while she attempted to write her book and live the writer's life, she became a part of a small community of like-minded friends that included her agent, Maurice Crain, and others of similar interests. Throughout her life, they would be her support system and conduit to the literary world.At about the time her book was completed and just before its publication, Lee accompanied Truman Capote to Kansas as his assistant, to gather information on the killings of the Clutter family in Holcomb. Some say that her contribution to the eventual book, "In Cold Blood," was huge (yet unacknowledged).After the several years it took to complete "To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)," when it finally came out, Lee allegedly remarked that she hoped that some people would like it. She was definitely unprepared for its huge success, which included bestseller status almost immediately; a Pulitzer Prize; and, of course, the movie.Throughout this compelling portrayal of a fascinating writer, I could not help but long for something more about her life. More rich details of how she lives day-to-day. From all accounts, however, she blends almost seamlessly into the life of her small community. Occasional trips to NY became less frequent. For a woman who attained a great degree of fame and wealth, she certainly reportedly lives like an ordinary person—maybe less so, since she apparently strove diligently to maintain privacy and anonymity.And yet, in this biographical sketch, there were occasional accounts of interactions with people that might suggest a more sociable side lying just below the surface.For the most part, however, she seems to stay connected primarily with her family, her church friends, and others in the community. I liked reading descriptions of how she would be seen sitting alone at a table in a local restaurant, eating dinner, and enjoying her own company—or how her modest home is filled with books in every room. These tidbits reveal a contented person, despite what one might conclude. I especially enjoyed reading a comment she made to someone who asked her why she didn't write another book: "I had every intention of writing many novels," she reportedly said, "but I could never have imagined the success "To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)" would enjoy. I became overwhelmed." And in another instance, she was reported to have said something like...when you've reached the top, there's only one way to go.How intimidating this degree of success must have been for a woman with no pretensions, who had hoped to achieve her dream of writing a book (or several), and then, in one fell swoop, achieves the totally unexpected feat of becoming the creator of the most widely read American novel ever. To reach this level of success and then to live with it afterwards had to be the greatest accomplishment of all. In another quote from Lee that occurred a little more than a year after her book was published, she said: "People who have made peace with themselves are the people I most admire in the world."She seems to belong in that company of admirable people.Five stars.
What do You think about Mockingbird: A Portrait Of Harper Lee (2007)?
This was surprisingly both informative and a good read -- authors don't normally make good subjects for biographies. Maybe the fact that it is a reasonable length helped; too many biographies now are 500 pages. I particularly enjoyed the parts about Harper Lee in Kansas with Truman Capote. Still don't feel like I have an understanding of her as a person or even of her relationship to Monroeville but not surprising since she was not willing to be interviewed for the book and the people closest to her also were not either. Her New York editors and closest friends, deceased now for decades, seemed to be very important for her writing and the author speculates that without that support system, she found it difficult to write again. Biography, of course, of particular interest at the moment with the publication of To Set a Watchman. On page 201/202, Charles Shields says: "To Kill A Mockingbird is a superior book because it was written by a superior person who became a professional writer without inflicting her apprenticeship on the public in a trial book."
—Charlene
I think this is a solid biographical account of Harper Lee. I don't know that I really knew much about her beyond her having written an amazing novel and then stepping out of sight. I vaguely knew of her relationship with Truman Capote and their work together on In Cold Blood but I didn't have any context or details on it. This portrait of Harper Lee was enlightening in that respect but it still didn't go very deep into her life. Although I suspect that the lack of depth is due to the extreme privacy that Harper Lee lives her life in. Although the author was able to interview a lot of people about her, I'm not sure that he had the insider view that would have been necessary to make this book anything more than a satisfactory biography. It's solid. It's good. It's interesting. But, it didn't go as far as I suspect most of us would have liked. The most compelling things for me after reading this book -1. How much of her own life she used when writing To Kill A Mockingbird. I had no idea. I knew she grew up in a similar place but I had no idea how much she really leveraged!2. Her relationship with Truman Capote. Wow. He was something else! The story of their friendship and its projectory over their lives was fascinating.3. I found that I liked what I learned of Harper Lee much more than I'd expected - she appears (based on the account of her in this book) to be a feisty, intelligent, complex and kind woman. The kind of women that I like. A woman that I'd like to know. 4. I better understand WHY she may not have written another novel. Although that isn't solved per se, it is better understood after acknowledging her experiences with Mockingbird (the book and movie) and In Cold Blood. I can certainly understand her desire for privacy and her decision to remove herself from public life (for the most part). In the end, I wanted to go sit and have a cup of coffee with Harper Lee. She seems like a person that I would enjoy knowing. I have an even greater respect for her and the novel that she wrote. Her novel is an American classic for a reason. The writing of Charles J. Shields is clunky and ultimately made the reading experience drag on a bit. It took almost 10 days for me to get through it which is a very long time for me. Particularly since it isn't a long book. It just felt very dense and clunky to me. I enjoyed it, in the end, but getting there was sometimes a chore.If you love her novel and want to know more about her, her life, and perhaps get a glimpse into what she's chosen to do, this is definitely something you may enjoy. You have to push through the writing at times which isn't something that I would recommend to someone who isn't a fan of her novel or interested in her life.
—Amy
When To Kill a Mockingbird was first released, all "Nelle" Harper Lee hoped for was "a merciful death at the hands of reviewers." Humble expectations for a book that won the Pulitzer and is still the most popular novel of the 20th century. It must have been quite a challenge to write a biography of someone who refuses to be interviewed and has shared almost nothing private about herself over the years. Shields did well with this book, considering the limited information. He did a great deal of research and filled in the holes with details about the people who surrounded Nelle. I really admire Nelle for always just being who she wanted to be, regardless of social pressure. She smoked a pipe in college! Not the done thing for well-bred Southern young ladies in the 1940s! What a character.The most interesting parts of the book are further in, where it tells about her assisting Truman Capote with In Cold Blood and the period of time where she wrote/published/filmed To Kill a Mockingbird. She was far too loyal to Capote. In Cold Blood absolutely could not have been written without her assistance, and yet he refused to give her proper credit. What a Jerkin McGherkin!!I read large print edition, so don't freak out at the number of pages.
—Jeanette "Astute Crabbist"
