Harper Lee’s first and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, published in July 1960, is not only a beloved classic but also a touchstone in American literary and social history. It may well be our national novel.

With Scout, Atticus, and Boo, Mary McDonagh Murphy commemorates more than half a century of To Kill a Mockingbird by exploring the great novel’s history and how it has left its indelible mark. In compelling interviews, Anna Quindlen, Tom Brokaw, Oprah Winfrey, James Patterson, James McBride, Scott Turow, Wally Lamb, Andrew Young, Richard Russo, Adriana Trigiani, Rick Bragg, Jon Meacham, Allan Gurganus, Diane McWhorter, Lee Smith, Rosanne Cash, and others reflect on their own personal connections to Lee’s literary masterpiece, what it means to them—then and now—and how it ultimately has affected their lives and careers.