To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most challenged books ever published. It is also one of the most loved. That tension makes it a natural pick for Banned Books Week, which runs from October 4 to 10, 2026.
I came to this book later than many readers. It was one of those books I felt I should have read by now. When I finally did, I enjoyed it, even though it deals with hard topics.
This post looks at why the novel keeps getting challenged and what I took from it. It ends with a simple way to read a book that makes you uncomfortable.
What the Story is About
Harper Lee published the novel in 1960, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It is set in the 1930s in Maycomb, a small town in the American South. Jean Louise Finch, known as Scout, tells the story. It covers three years, starting when she is six.
Scout's father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer. A judge appoints him to defend Tom Robinson, a Black man accused of assaulting a 19-year-old white woman, Mayella Ewell. Many people in town are outraged that Atticus takes the case seriously. Slavery has ended, but segregation is still the law of the land.
Mayella's father, Robert Ewell, is mean, cruel, and lazy. Few people respect him. Still, as a white man, he holds a power that Tom does not. At trial,Atticus shows Tom could not have committed the crime. The evidence points to Robert instead.
The jury convicted Tom anyway. Later, Robert Ewell seeks revenge and attacks Scout and her brother Jem on their way home. Arthur Radley, the reclusive neighbor the children call Boo, comes to their rescue.
Why It Keeps Getting Challenged
One main reason is language. A racial slur appears in the book dozens of times. Some readers find that painful, especially in a classroom setting.
The subject is another reason. The book deals with a sexual assault charge and with racial injustice. These are hard topics for young readers, and for some parents too .
Over the years, challenges have come from different directions. Some people object to slurs. Others object to how the book tells a story about racism mainly through the eyes of white characters.
Those concerns deserve a hearing. But removing the book from the shelves is a different matter. A ban decides for every reader what they can handle. Banned Books Week exists to push back against that.
My Honest Take
Surprisingly, I was not offended by the book. I would never want anyone to call me that word. But I did not get caught up in the slurs. They reflect an unfortunate time in history, and I enjoyed the story.
In fact, Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness offended me more. How book depicts Black people bothered me far more than anything in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Harper Lee brings her characters to life. Scout and Jem feel believable. They are curious, and they explore the world for themselves, even when their father tells them not to. Their games around Boo Radley's house ring true to childhood.
I had one criticism. I found Atticus much too passive and forgiving. He is always explaining and excusing inappropriate behavior. When Robert Ewell spits in his face and threatens him, Atticus does not take it seriously. That choice nearly cost him his children.
The book also shows how class shaped the South of the 1930s. It was not only about how Black and white people interacted. Class divided white people from each other, too.
Building Bridges
After I finished the book, a Bob Marley song came to mind. In War, Marley set to music the words of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie from a 1963 speech at the United Nations.
The message is simple. There can be no peace while one race is better than another. There can be no peace while some people are first-class citizens and others are second-class. Skin color should matter no more than eye color. Basic human rights must be equal for everyone.
Tom Robinson lived in exactly the world Selassie described. He was a second-class citizen in his own town. The jury did not judge the evidence. It judged the color of his skin.
The story is set in a painful period. I hope that all of us can build bridges, learn to forgive, help each other, and create a much better world. Reading books like this one is part of how we get there.
Your Action: How to Read a Hard Book
A book that makes you uncomfortable is not a reason to put it down. Often, it is a reason to read more carefully. Here is a simple approach. Pick the parts that apply to you.
- Name your reaction. When a passage upsets you, pause and write what you feel and why.
- Look at the context. Ask when the book was written, when it is set, and what the author wants readers to see.
- Notice who tells the story. Ask whose voice you hear and whose voice is missing.
- Compare it with another book. Read a second book on the same topic, ideally by an author with a different background. Note where they agree and differ.
- Talk about it. Share your thoughts with a friend, a book club, or a family member. Hard books are easier to process together.
When you finish, decide for yourself what the book taught you. That choice should belong to you, not to someone who wants it off the shelf.
Conclusion
Hard books ask something of us. They make us sit with injustice, see it clearly, and decide what we will do about it. That is exactly why they matter.
I enjoyed this story, flaws and all, and I still disagree with how Atticus handled the threats against his family. Disagreement is part of reading. A ban takes that conversation away.
This Banned Books Week, read To Kill a Mockingbird with open eyes. Then talk about it with someone who sees it differently.
Book in This Post
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (affiliate link)
- Read my earlier review of To Kill a Mockingbird
Sources
- Banned Books Week, American Library Association
- Harper Lee, 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Pulitzer Prizes
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