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The Mockingbird Next Door
The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee | Marja Mills
21 posts | 16 read | 38 to read
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the best loved novels of the twentieth century. But for the last fifty years, the novels celebrated author, Harper Lee, has said almost nothing on the record. Journalists have trekked to her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, where Harper Lee, known to her friends as Nelle, has lived with her sister, Alice, for decades, trying and failing to get an interview with the author. But in 2001, the Lee sisters opened their door to Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills. It was the beginning of a long conversationand a great friendship.In 2004, with the Lees blessing, Mills moved into the house next door to the sisters. She spent the next eighteen months there, sharing coffee at McDonalds and trips to the Laundromat with Nelle, feeding the ducks and going out for catfish supper with the sisters, and exploring all over lower Alabama with the Lees inner circle of friends.Nelle shared her love of history, literature, and the Southern way of life with Mills, as well as her keen sense of how journalism should be practiced. As the sisters decided to let Mills tell their story, Nelle helped make sure she was getting the storyand the Southright. Alice, the keeper of the Lee family history, shared the stories of their family.The Mockingbird Next Door is the story of Millss friendship with the Lee sisters. It is a testament to the great intelligence, sharp wit, and tremendous storytelling power of these two women, especially that of Nelle.Mills was given a rare opportunity to know Nelle Harper Lee, to be part of the Lees life in Alabama, and to hear them reflect on their upbringing, their corner of the Deep South, how To Kill a Mockingbird affected their lives, and why Nelle Harper Lee chose to never write another novel.From the Hardcover edition.
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Bookwormjillk
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On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
The life of Harper Lee is such a mystery and I‘ll read anything about it. This one was well done and respectful. #12Booksof2020

Andrew65 Looks great. 4y
51 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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LeslieO
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I started my holiday decorating and it started snowing! Getting in the mood. I‘m am not killing it with #NFN2020. Hoping to finish the two books I‘m reading now by month‘s end. I‘m loving the tagged book about Harper Lee. Nice follow up to Furious Hours which I read last month. #NonFictionNovember #NFN20

LeahBergen So festive! 😍 4y
23 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ravenlee
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My latest that followed me home from the library-discard freebies. 18? 19? I‘ve lost track now. Interesting that I‘ve had almost zero luck with their fiction discards but the NF always yields something.

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Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book about Alice and Harper Lee. It wasn‘t the biography I expected, but rather snapshots from the lives of two remarkable sisters in small town Alabama.

#BookspinBingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
50 likes1 comment
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Mjm1
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Just started it. Excited to see how it goes

7 likes1 stack add
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Pam.Kokomo
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Pickpick

Such a lovely book. Glen is reading TKMB to the girls and this book just brings it to life in a whole new way.

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Insightsintobooks
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Has anyone read this? Is it good? I'm considering buying it.

Insightsintobooks I brought it, it was only $1.99 7y
Suet624 I liked it but I got it from the library so there was no financial commitment. 7y
Insightsintobooks @Suet624 it's only 1.99 at the moment so, I got it. Thanks for telling me you liked it 😊 7y
Suet624 Oh good. I think you‘ll enjoy it. 7y
goodbyefrancie I enjoyed it! 7y
46 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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ontheBL
Mehso-so

A memoir. Mills had unprecedented access to Harper Lee. Mills dedicated many years of her life to cultivating a friendship and learning about the woman who touched so many hearts with her beloved novel To Kill A Mockingbird.

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goodbyefrancie
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. It reveals more of the behind-the-scenes life of Harper Lee, who was a very private person. I'd recommend it for any fan of To Kill a Mockingbird.

53 likes1 stack add
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goodbyefrancie
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My newest adventure.

61 likes2 stack adds
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GinEyre22
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I meant to post this last night..
#boozeandbooks 🍺📖

36 likes1 stack add
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GinEyre22
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#LitsyQuestions @GypsyKat
🍁My birthday is October 22
🍂 All the seasons!
🍁Tudor /Elizabethian
🍂Maybe $50?
🍁 I don't think I have a particular place.. Maybe England /UK
🍂 Stupid work
🍁 20

GypsyKat Thanks for playing! And happy early birthday! 😊🎉 7y
GinEyre22 @GypsyKat Thanks 😁 7y
25 likes1 stack add2 comments
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GinEyre22
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#autumnreads Day 20: Chapter 20

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Suet624
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Pickpick

The library patrons gave ratings ranging from 3 to 8. It's true that it's not earth shattering but I enjoyed spending time with Harper Lee and her sister, Alice. To be honest, Alice was the sweet surprise. Like her father (and Atticus), she is a lawyer practicing into her 90's. A voracious reader and the keeper of all the memories. Warm and generous. And Harper was her complicated self throughout.

saresmoore Great review. They are certainly a pair of women I'd like to get to know. 8y
Suet624 @saresmoore feisty, shy and kind. May we grow to be that in our old age as well. 😁 8y
65 likes2 comments
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Suet624
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Pounding the preacher. Well alrighty then!

saresmoore Hahaha! 8y
Vexingcircumstance Yah that is not my first thought with that phrase. Is she sure that is what that really means? Lol. It sounds like what someone would tell a child that overheard a conversation they shouldn't have. 8y
Suet624 @Vexingcircumstance 😂😂it wasn't my first thought either. 😎 8y
48 likes3 comments
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Suet624
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"Nelle [Harper Lee] wanted to make sure I had read William Faulkner and Eudora Welty, to better understand the South. She liked Flannery O'Connor less, particularly the Catholic element in her books. Plus, O'Connor has once said that To Kill a Mockingbird was a good book - for children." OUCH!!

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saresmoore 😼 8y
Hobbinol That had to hurt. I love Flannery, but I'm sure her peacocks were mean. 8y
Suet624 @Hobbinol 😂😂😂 8y
52 likes3 comments
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Suet624
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Many of my stickers are highlighting passages about the number of books Nelle (Harper Lee) and her sister, Alice, have. I love reading about people's homes and how books occupy their space. Alice has so many books that she stores many in her oven.

saresmoore Too funny! I suppose the oven really is underutilized storage space if you're not using it for food prep. 🤔 I love your little page flags! 8y
Suet624 @saresmoore my secret Santa gave me those delightful page flags. I am reluctant to use them because then they'll be gone. 😩😩😩 8y
Hobbinol I've left a book in the refrigerator before 🙃By accident of course. Good thing I didn't put a carton of milk in my book bag or something. 8y
Suet624 @Hobbinol, 😂😂😂 when my Lyme Disease was really bad I put a book in the freezer and then scoured the apartment in tears trying to find the darn thing. I found it when I was making my dinner. 😀 8y
65 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Mielkehm
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A grandma approved read for today's family get together!

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Leelee08
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My Fun Friday is a half-off sale at the library used bookstore!!📚📚📚

OakCliffGirl I have this in my TBR pile. Looking forward to reading it some day. 8y
Leelee08 @OakCliffGirl Me too! I can't believe when I can find such good books for $1.😀😀 8y
47 likes6 stack adds2 comments