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Today in History: Harper Lee publishes classic on Southern injustice

7/11/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On July 11, 1960, Harper Lee released *To Kill a Mockingbird*, a Southern Gothic novel set in Alabama’s Deep South that confronts racial injustice and loss of innocence. Drawing on her childhood observations of Monroeville, the book quickly became a bestseller, won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize, and entered the American literary canon.

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Story summary

On July 11, 1960, Harper Lee released *To Kill a Mockingbird*, a Southern Gothic novel set in Alabama’s Deep South that confronts racial injustice and loss of innocence. Drawing on her childhood observations of Monroeville, the book quickly became a bestseller, won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize, and entered the American literary canon.