Thorough primary research through all known records of the famously private Harper Lee, known to friends and family as Nelle, underpins this fine biography. Author Kerry Madden traveled three times to Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, to gather information through interviews and documents. Although never given an interview by Lee herself, Madden was able to talk to many key people who knew her, including Truman Capote’s country cousin, Big Boy, a childhood friend of Lee’s. Madden focuses on three main areas in this account of Lee’s life and the book that made her famous: her early life; the creation of To Kill a Mockingbird and its critical reception; and the Hollywood movie based on the book. She does not obsess about what isn’t known about Lee, nor does she play the speculation game. As it turns out, focusing on what is known is enough for an extremely thorough and satisfying biography of a fascinating woman and her modern masterpiece. We even learn that the proper pronunciation of Nelle in Monroeville is “nail,” one of many facts that will stay with readers long after the book is closed. (Age 13 and older)

Read Kerry Madden's posts on the Penguin Blog.

Nelle Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 and became an instant bestseller. Two years later it was an Academy Award– winning film. Today, it remains standard—and beloved—reading in English classes. But Lee never wanted “the book” to define who she was, which explains her aversion to any kind of publicity. Kerry Madden conducted extensive research for this Up Close biography, which reveals Lee to be a down-to-earth Southern woman who prefers to live simply, like her neighbors do, despite the fact that she is a treasured literary legend. Madden’s in-depth biography is now more relevant than ever: 2015’s historic release of Go Set a Watchman—written by Lee before To Kill a Mockingbird and lost for decades—has thrust Lee and her work back into the spotlight.

A Booklist Top Ten Biography of 2009

A Kirkus Best Book of 2009