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"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a novel by Harper Lee, published in 1960. The story is set in the Deep South during the 1930s and is told from the perspective of a young girl named Scout Finch. Scout lives with her older brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, who is a well-respected lawyer in the town of Maycomb, Alabama.
At the heart of the novel is Atticus Finch's moral stand against racial injustice. He is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Despite clear evidence of Tom's innocence and the obvious lies of the accusers, the town's racial prejudice leads to a guilty verdict.
While the trial unfolds, Scout and Jem, along with their friend Dill, also encounter other forms of social inequality and learn about the complexities of human nature. They are exposed to various forms of prejudice and learn valuable life lessons from their father and their reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley - who, despite being feared and misunderstood by the townspeople, performs acts of kindness towards the children.
The title of the book is a metaphorical reference to the idea that to harm someone innocent and good-hearted, like a mockingbird, is a senseless act of cruelty.