1. To Kill a Mocking Bird Author : Harper Lee

2. Harper Lee (April 28, 1926)

3. American Author – Known for her “1960” book – To Kill a Mockingbird * Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to literature in 2007.

4. Harper Lee – aka “Nell” Born in Monroeville, Alabama *Her father was lawyer. -As a child she was a ‘Tomboy’ and LOVED to read. She had a strong friendship with neighbor Truman Capote.

5. -After graduating from high school, she enrolled in an all-female Huntingdon College in Montgomery. *Never finished her law degree.

6.  In 1956, she received a year’s wages from her friends with a note : “You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas!”  -PUBLISHED – July 11, 1960  *It became an immediate bestseller and won great critical acclaim, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961.  It remains a bestseller with more than 30 million copies in print.  In 1999, it was voted the best novel of the century.