Over the past few years, I have reviewed several books for Bookreporter.com that revolve around Harper Lee’s iconic novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. The subjects have been varied, ranging from aspects of the author’s reclusive life to biographies of her father, the model for Atticus Finch, the book’s overriding figure.

MOCKINGBIRD was published in 1960, won the Pulitzer Prize and endures today as a classic of American fiction. Its popularity is the result of several factors, not the least of which is the mystery surrounding its author and her family. This winter, a theatrical version of the novel will premiere on Broadway. Even that production has been mired in controversy and litigation as Lee’s estate battles to preserve what they view as the integrity and meaning of her masterpiece.

Drawing the assignment of reviewing WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS by Tom Santopietro is a fitting conclusion to my multi-year sojourn through Lee’s life and the book that placed her in the pantheon of American novelists. Santopietro’s work is an effort to examine the significance of the book and the 1962 movie, along with the themes (many of which reverberate today in American life) that are explored in both.

"Drawing the assignment of reviewing WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS by Tom Santopietro is a fitting conclusion to my multi-year sojourn through Lee’s life and the book that placed her in the pantheon of American novelists."

If you plan on reading WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS hoping to engage in a deep discussion with the author regarding the themes and characters presented in the novel, you may be disappointed. A substantial portion of the book centers on how it came to be published and includes biographical information about Lee. The focus then shifts to the making of the movie; here, readers learn that among the actors considered for the role of Atticus Finch were Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy and Rock Hudson. Gregory Peck’s eventual portrayal won him not only an Oscar, but the role of a lifetime. As he observed, “To Kill a Mockingbird will be the first line in my obituary, and that’s all right with me.” Santopietro’s knowledge of the industry shines through as he discusses the film in glorious detail.

Only four of the 17 chapters are devoted to placing MOCKINGBIRD in its literary context and answering why the novel matters. In a chapter that talks about whether or not the book is racist, Santopietro speculates that criticism from both liberals and conservatives may be the reason why Lee was reluctant to write a second novel. Nevertheless, important issues have been raised in MOCKINGBIRD about the racial climate of the post-Depression south and its leaders, men like Atticus Finch who silently (perhaps too silently) waged a battle for civil rights. In the end, the two extremes of the political spectrum may simply have to disagree.

Santopietro also touches on the aforementioned Aaron Sorkin play, and offers observations regarding Charlottesville and the President’s behavior on that subject. Suffice it to say that the comparison between Atticus Finch and Donald Trump is not flattering to the latter.

In the end, WHY TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD MATTERS is probably a book for acolytes of Harper Lee’s renowned novel, which is not a bad thing. After all, more than 40 million copies have been sold, so the audience is certainly vast and loyal.