To Kill a Mockingbird

is one of the best loved novels of the twentieth century. Yet for the last fifty years, the novel’s celebrated author, Harper Lee, known to her friends as Nelle, has said almost nothing on the record. But in 2001, Nelle and her sister, Alice Finch Lee, opened their door to

Chicago Tribune

journalist Marja Mills. It was the beginning of a long conversation -

and a wonderful friendship. Mills was given a rare opportunity to know Nelle, to be a part of the Lees’ life in Alabama, and to hear them reflect on their upbringing, their corner of the Deep South, and how

To Kill a Mockingbird

affected their lives.
‘A winning, nuanced portrait… . unlikely we’ll ever have a better record of a remarkable American life.’

USA Today
‘Wonderful … warm yet wistful, a lament for the books Harper Lee never wrote.’

The Washington Post
‘ Mills has written an intimate, moving book about a rare talent.’

People
‘Mills has done what no writer before he could-

She got Harper Lee to open up about her life, her work … ’

O, The Oprah Magazine