Harper Lee, born Nelle Harper Lee, on April 18, 1926,she was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Harper is the author of the famous book “To Kill A Mocking Bird.” Many aspects of the book are based on her personal life and experiences. For example her father was a lawyer in Alabama for twelve years, thus the character Atticus who is a lawyer and the father of Jem and Scout. Also her mother’s maiden name was Finch, which is the last name of the main characters in the book. Lee developed her interest in literature in high school. After a few years in college Lee dropped out to pursue her dream of writing in New York City. For a while she struggled in New York. She worked as a ticket agent for Eastern Airlines. Lee met up with her old friend Michael Brown in New York. After writing a few long stories she found an agent. In December of 1956 she received a gift from Brown and his wife. It was a years worth of money. The note read:”You have one year off your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.” She quit her job and began working on writing. By the time her year was up she had a first draft. She worked with J.B. Lippincott & Co. to complete her novel To Kill a Mocking Bird. The book was published July 11, 1960. It was instantly a best-seller and won numerous prizes.

-by KJ