By Jovan Stipić

Growing up, our parents and teachers often tell us to read the so-called "coming of age books." Over the years, we have had a plethora of choices, be it "Little Women" by Louise May Alcott, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Sallinger or "Emma" by Jane Austen, to name a few. These books have hopefully shaped us into better people over the years. Yet the one thing that secretly binds these books and many others like them together, is that "coming of age books" are often based on (relatively) true stories or real people that inspired the characters or the narrative.

One such book that certainly needs no introduction is Harper Lee's very own "To Kill a Mockingbird", which was probably based on her childhood.

Harper Lee was born Nelle Harper Lee in 1926. Like Scout, the book's main character, Lee, was born in Alabama, where the novel takes place. However, Harper Lee was born in the real town of Monroeville, Alabama, while "To Kill a Mockingbird" takes place in a fictional town called Maycomb.

Set during the 20th century in rural Alabama, the story is told through the eyes of a six-year-old girl nicknamed Scout. Scout and her older brother Jem live with their father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer whose steadfast moral compass and belief in the sanctity of the law are central to the novel. "To Kill a Mockingbird" touches on political subjects such as flaws in the justice system and timeless topics like bravery, friendship, and compassion. Compassion, most of all.

Like the novel's young narrator, Harper Lee's father, Amasa Coleman Lee, was also a compassionate lawyer. In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch's staunchly held beliefs are central to Scout's understanding of the events unfolding around her. Much of "To Kill a Mockingbird" concerns a legal case Atticus takes on involving a black man who stands falsely accused of assaulting a white woman. It's possible that Harper Lee's writing was influenced by a case her father defended when she was a child, wherein he defended two black men who had been accused of murder. It was the only criminal case he had ever taken and one that he lost, failing to clear the names of the two men.

But what of the characters? Dill Harris is as integral to the story as Scout is, so was there a person in Lee's life that could have been used as an inspiration? It's commonly believed that Harper Lee's childhood friend, none other than "In Cold Blood" author Truman Capote, was the inspiration for the character of Scout's friend Dill Harris.

The two had met when they were still children, around five years old, whilst living next door to one another. Like Dill in the book, Capote was rather small growing up, often dressing strangely compared to his peers. And Lee was a known tomboy who defended him from bullies. Those who have read the books would know that there is little difference in the descriptions of Capote and Lee and Dill and Scout.

With all this in mind, it's safe to say that Harper Lee most likely drew from her own life while writing "To Kill a Mockingbird." After all, Capote himself said that his character of Idabel Hopkins, in his first book "Other Voices, Other Rooms", was based on his lifelong friend, Harper Lee. Why would it be so strange to think she did the same with one of her characters?

In the years after the publication, Lee maintained that the book was first and foremost for children. She wanted to share her very own lessons and experiences that she had growing up, reading aloud with her childhood friend Truman Capote.