From the classics to contemporary literary fiction and everything in between, there are so many must-reads out there. If you are a bit of a bookworm, you probably already have a list that you are working your way through – but there is one that should be right up there at the top, that’s if you haven’t already read it.
Book-lovers website Goodreads has compiled a list of the 100 books everyone should read at least once in their lifetime and number one is a classic. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird came out on top and received the most votes from readers, with just under 25,000. The book has more than six million ratings on the platform and scores 4.46 out of five stars.
Lee’s poignant story follows a young girl and her brother as they deal with the prejudice of their small town. When their father must defend a Black man who is falsely accused of rape, the children must face the harsh realities of racism.
The book’s synopsis reads: “A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel – a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man’s struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.”
The story’s themes include morality and innocence through a young lens.
To Kill A Mockingbird was an instant bestseller and acheived critical success when it was first published in 1960. It also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film as well as being adapted for stage several times.
A reviewer wrote: “I loved this book. I loved its characters. I loved its plot. And I loved the eloquent way in which Harper Lee wrote it. It made me laugh and it made me cry. Her words are real and her story is truth. This book is one of the wisest, most finely crafted, pieces of prose fiction I have ever read. I didn’t want it to ever end.”
Another reviewer said: “In the course of 5 years, I’ve read this book nearly 17 times.”
“The ending was perfect. There’s closure. There’s victory,” a third added.