The following collection of thematically related readings is available in To Kill a Mockingbird and Related Readings in McDougal Littell's Literature Connections series.


Excerpt from Growing Up in the Great Depression by Richard Wormser, © 1994
Summary: This nonfiction account describes the hardships encountered during the Great Depression.

"The Right Thing to Do at the Time" by George Garrett
(from The Sound of Writing )
Summary: Like Atticus Finch, the lawyer in this short story stands on his own principles, even if they go against the ideals and laws of the town.

"Lawyer Clark Blues" by Sleepy John Estes
Summary: This song asks the musical question: What can a good lawyer do?

"Strange Fruit" by Lewis Allan, © 1939
Summary: One of jazz vocalists Billie Holiday's signature songs, "Strange Fruit" tells of the lynchings that were common in the South at the beginning of the century.

"The Thanksgiving Visitor" by Truman Capote
(from The Thanksgiving Visitor, © 1967)
Summary: Scout and Jem learn the difficult concept of justice from Atticus. The boy in this story learns in a similar way.

"The Hidden Songs of a Secret Soul" by Bob Greene
(from The Chicago Tribune, ©1975)
Summary: This essay is a modern-day song of the self, a profile of a person with a surprising, and secret, leisure-time pursuit.

"Freedom" by Langston Hughes
(from The Panther and the Lash, © 1967)
Summary: Like Tom Robinson, the speaker of Hughes's poem wants to experience the power of freedom now, in the present.

"You Wouldn't Understand" by José Emilio Pacheco
(from Battles in the Desert and Other Stories, © 1963)
Summary: What would you do if you witnessed an injustice? How would you explain your actions (or lack thereof) to another person?