Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters

What Harper Lee's Book and the Iconic American Film Mean to Us Today

By: Tom Santopietro

Write A Review

Hardcover | 26 June 2018

Sorry, we are not able to source the book you are looking for right now.

We did a search for other books with a similar title, however there were no matches. You can try selecting from a similar category, click on the author's name, or use the search box above to find your book.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic work of American literature. When the book was made into a film in 1962 with Gregory Peck as the stalwart southern lawyer, Atticus Finch, the story of Scout, Jim, Dill and Boo Radley entered the American consciousness as well as the American fight for civil rights in a way that few other films have.

Tom Santopietro's new book, Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters, takes a 360 degree look at the Mockingbird phenomenon. He traces the writing of the book and the creation of the film from the earliest casting sessions to the choice of director and the three Oscars it won for Best Actor, Best Screenplay Based on an Existing Work, and Best Art Direction.

He looks at the impact of the Pulitzer prize, investigates claims that Lee's book is actually racist, and explores the bombshell that was exploded when Go Set a Watchman, the first version of Mockingbird, was published. There may be no better time in America to look at the significance of Harper Lee's book, the film, and all that came after.

Tom Santopietro, an author well-known for his writing about American popular culture, shows readers why To Kill a Mockingbird matters today more than it ever did before.

About the Author

Tom Santopietro is the author of The Sound of Music Story, Barbara Cook: Then and Now, The Godfather Effect, The Importance of Being Barbra, Considering Doris Day (A New York Times Editor's Choice) and Sinatra in Hollywood. A frequent media commentator and interviewer, he lectures on classic films, and over the past thirty years has managed more than two dozen Broadway shows.

Industry Reviews

"Fans of To Kill a Mockingbird, the film and the novel, will enjoy this work. "
--Library Journal

"Meticulous attention to detail... Readers not familiar with the stories behind the novel and film will find much to relish."
--Publishers Weekly

"Absorbing and full of beguiling detail."
--USA Today

"A detailed account of a classic novel's context, transformation, and acclaim."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Santopietro has certainly done his homework, and he applies the rigor of his knowledge admirably... Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters is astute."--New York Times Book Review

"A fascinating new book. Santopietro does To Kill a Mockingbird proud. Even Harper Lee--so reticent, so resistant to attention--would have been mighty pleased at this affectionate, meticulous and masterful explanation as to why Mockingbird still matters. "
--New York Social Diary, Denis Ferrara

"Tom Santopietro gets to the heart of the matter in every subject he has tackled in his illustrious career. His latest, the story behind the great American novel To Kill A Mockingbird and its superb film adaptation is fascinating. This gifted author takes you inside the world that inspired the novel and the process that led to its telling as only he can. Inspiring, hopeful and surprising at every turn, this is a glorious read in the moment we need it most."
--Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Kiss Carlo

"I barreled through Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters, Tom Santopietro's comprehensive and multi-faceted investigation of Mockingbird's backstory, the movie's making, and the enduring influence of a story which, as Santopietro observes, is simultaneously straightforward and complex, traditional and subversive. Santopietro masterfully examines the novel's impact during the era in which it was published and also within the context of these present, more cynical times of race-baiting politics, the Black Lives Matter movement, and what readers might make of that flawed "other" Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. If, like me, you're a fan and a student of To Kill a Mockingbird, you will love this fascinating and timely book."

--Wally Lamb, bestselling author of I Know This Much Is True

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.