Harper Lee 's `` To Kill a Mockingbird '' celebrates its 54th birthday today , and for the first time , it 's available as an e-book . Since it was published July 11 , 1960 , the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and been translated into 50 languages . In 1999 , it was voted best novel of the 20th century by Library Journal . Until this week , though , it had never been available as an e-book . The story . `` To Kill a Mockingbird '' is a coming-of-age story about two children in the South , Scout and Jem Finch . While their lawyer father , Atticus , defends Tom Robinson , a black man wrongly accused of rape , the children are fascinated by a mysterious neighbor , Boo Radley . Through the trial and their experiences in their hometown of Maycomb , Alabama , Scout and Jem learn about racism and acceptance in the 1930s Deep South . The author . Born in 1926 , Lee spent her childhood in Alabama before moving to New York when she was 23 . She struggled with odd jobs over the years and , in 1956 , decided to write full-time . She found a publisher interested in her novel and completed it three years later . In `` Mockingbird , '' a 2006 biography about Lee , author Charles J. Shields , wrote that the novel is partially autobiographical , based on Lee 's childhood in Monroeville , Alabama . Similar to the young protagonist in `` To Kill A Mockingbird , '' Lee was a tomboy whose father was a lawyer . Amazon 's 100 books to read in a lifetime . The town where the novel takes place is based on her hometown , and the fictional trial in `` Mockingbird '' closely parallels the 1931 Alabama `` Scottsboro Boys '' trial . Lee has said that although she did n't want the trial in her book to be as sensational , her intent was to expose the longstanding racial disparities in the South . It 's also believed that she based the character of Scout 's playmate , Dill , on her childhood friend , Truman Capote . The two remained close as adults , and after the release of `` To Kill a Mockingbird , '' Lee traveled to Kansas with Capote to research an article he was writing for the New Yorker . That article would later become his famous true-crime story , `` In Cold Blood . '' The book . The book was released in July 1960 and flew off the shelves , but critics had mixed reviews . Some praised it for pushing the envelope with its social commentary , while others found its characters , both black and white , to be poor representations people of the South and their lives . Although it 's considered a classic , the book is still among those challenged and banned in schools and libraries , often because of language or its themes around race . 5 best-selling authors ' favorite beach reads . Although Lee humbly accepted the success and praise around `` To Kill a Mockingbird , '' she 's always been reclusive , avoiding the spotlight and media attention . She began work on another novel in the early 1960s , but `` Mockingbird '' was her only published work . Fiercely protective of the novel , she 's been involved in several lawsuits regarding copyright issues and unauthorized merchandise being sold in her hometown . The film and the future . In 1962 , the novel was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch . Lee was pleased with the film adaptation , praising Peck 's portrayal of the small-town lawyer , and called the film a work of art . This year , Lee finally gave permission for the novel to be published as an e-book and digital audio edition e-book , saying , `` I am amazed and humbled that 'Mockingbird ' has survived this long . This is 'Mockingbird ' for a new generation . '' Rosemary Murphy dies ; played Miss Maudie Atkinson in 'Mockingbird ' When did you first read `` The Kill A Mockingbird '' ? Share your memories in the comments , on Twitter @ CNNLiving or on CNN Living 's Facebook page !
`` To Kill a Mockingbird '' was published this week in 1960 and was immediately popular . Just this year , Lee gave permission for `` Mockingbird '' to be released as an e-book . The e-book version of the classic was released this week . The book explores racism in the South through the eyes of children .