Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. She was a tomboy who loved climbing trees and playing rough games. Her childhood friend Truman Capote later became a famous writer too. Lee moved to New York City to become a writer, but she struggled for years. Then her friends gave her an incredible gift. They paid her living expenses for a whole year so she could focus on writing. Lee used that time to finish her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The book tells the story of Scout Finch, a young girl in a small Southern town. Scout's father, Atticus, is a lawyer who defends a Black man accused of a crime he did not commit. The book became a huge success when it was published in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize and has sold over 40 million copies. Schools across the country still teach it today. What makes the book powerful is that readers see the story through a child's eyes. Scout does not understand why people treat others unfairly because of their skin color. Her confusion forces readers to question their own beliefs.