You probably had to read this at school – but is this 1961 Pulitzer Prize winning book worthy of the “classic” label it has been given?  Told through the eyes of Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, the story explores racial prejudice in pre – civil rights era America, and the Deep South in particular.  Tom Robinson is the black man falsely accused of the rape of a white girl.  Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, is the lawyer assigned to defend him.  Atticus, despite the prejudice of the people around him, and the potential harm to his family, defends Tom to the best of his ability, due to his firm belief in the equal rights of all men.  Alongside the plot runs Scout’s perceptions of what is happening around her, and her childhood innocence is used to expose the illogical and hypocritical prejudices which exist in the town.  To Kill a Mockingbird is about much more than racism; it is about the hatred, selfishness and ignorance of a town against one man's struggle for justice.  Deserving of its classic status? Absolutely.