Atticus Finch

The Biography

By: Joseph Crespino

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Who was the real Atticus Finch? A prize-winning historian reveals the man behind the legend

The publication of Go Set a Watchman in 2015 forever changed how we think about Atticus Finch. Once seen as a paragon of decency, he was reduced to a small-town racist. How are we to understand this transformation?

In Atticus Finch, historian Joseph Crespino draws on exclusive sources to reveal how Harper Lee's father provided the central inspiration for each of her books. A lawyer and newspaperman, A. C. Lee was a principled opponent of mob rule, yet he was also a racial paternalist. Harper Lee created the Atticus of Watchman out of the ambivalence she felt toward white southerners like him. But when a militant segregationist movement arose that mocked his values, she revised the character in To Kill a Mockingbird to defend her father and to remind the South of its best traditions. A story of family and literature amid the upheavals of the twentieth century, Atticus Finch is essential to understanding Harper Lee, her novels, and her times.

Critic reviews

"Lucid, accomplished, eminently readable... Atticus Finch a blend of Southern history, literary criticism and group biography, is probably the best book about Harper Lee to come out since her death in 2016."—USA Today

"Although dismaying to some Lee fans, the belated publication of "Watchman," an apprentice work containing the germ plasm of "Mockingbird," cast light on the virtues and limitations of the author and her canonical novel. It also opened the door to serious scholarship like "Atticus Finch: The Biography," Joseph Crespino's crisp, illuminating examination of Harper Lee's dueling doppelgangers and their real-life model, Lee's politician father."—New York Times Book Review

"Readers interested in understanding the three different portrayals of Atticus Finch - the one found in "To Kill a Mockingbird," Gregory Peck's Atticus of the cinema, and the "warts and all" version found in Harper Lee's 2015 book, "Go Set a Watchman," will delight in this well researched backstory."—Bitter Southerner

"Insightful... [a] supple and incisive portrait of A.C. Lee."—Forward

"Mr. Crespino shows a gift for copious research and nuanced interpretation. He deftly parses the region's racial attitudes into a spectrum of views that reflected varying degrees of tolerance."—Wall Street Journal

"An in-depth look into the inspiration of Harper Lee's father, A.C. Lee, for the part of Atticus Finch... This will be of interest to anyone who studies Lee's work."—Library Journal

"Illuminating... Crespino combines the authority and command of the scholar with the grace of a storyteller, making Atticus a great read. He's crafted an earnest, lucid and concise history of the time in which the two voices of Atticus were created, and shown why they are so paradoxical."—Arts ATL

"A fascinating, thoroughly researched new book... In nimbly navigating Harper Lee's divergent portrayals of Atticus Finch - and the complex contradictions of A.C. Lee - Crespino will send many readers back to her novels in search of further understanding."—Columbus Dispatch

"Crespino's scholarly and well-written history leaps to the top of the books you should read if you are a To Kill A Mockingbird devotee."—Bookreporter

"Mr. Crespino has written a nuanced biography, one that tells the twin stories of Harper Lee's development of the character Atticus Finch and her relationship and ideological struggles with her father Amasa Coleman (A.C.) Lee, the Alabama lawyer and newspaperman, on whom Harper Lee based the fictional Atticus."—Christian Science Monitor

"A nuanced and captivating study of Atticus Finch.... This insightful work elucidates the literary, personal, and civil rights issues that shaped Harper Lee and her two novels."—Publishers Weekly

The inspiration of Atticus Finch

4 out of 5 stars

I truly loved this book. To Kill a Mockingbird is my very favorite classic and Atticus Finch is one of my favorite father figures in literature. Learning through this book that Harper Lee based Atticus Finch on her own father is fascinating. She made him a warm father figure because he was present in her own life. Also, I find that drawing connections to the political climate going on at the time of Lee writing her novels (Watchman first, then Mockingbird) made the stories that much more impactful. It truly enlightened me on what was going on in Lee’s life and how that influenced her writing. It also gave Atticus even more depth as a character which I was not expecting. I think that this book perfectly articulated who AC Lee was and the slight contrasts of who Harper Lee wrote Atticus to be.

A Deep Dive Into One Of My Favorite Books And It’s Central Character

Like many people, I love “To Kill A Mockingbird.” I listen to the audio version nearly every year. I watch the movie version nearly as regularly.

I knew some of the story of Harper Lee’s father and how she shapes the character of Atticus Finch around his life.

This book is a deep dive into how that occurred. I love this story!

A misleading title.

Great background on Harper Lee, her father, and the challenges she faced creating her two books! Too, excellent insights into the Alabama cultures and why there was no one right explanation of the prejudices prevalent in the diverse white communities.

Absolutely excellent

I enjoyed every minute of this book. I learned so much about the real Atticus finch. How he is not some liberal intellectual who is above his time in place. In fact, he was quite conservative, and unfortunately, even prejudiced. His real strength came from the fact that, in spite of his prejudice, he still did the right thing in defending Tom Robinson. I have a deep deal of respect for Harper Lee, even more so after listening to this audiobook. I found the reader to be excellent as well.

Fantastic historical writing

I recommend this book to any fan of Harper Lee’s classic, “To kill a mockingbird”. The story behind the story illuminates the hard truths of the Jim Crow south in a compelling way.

Additionally, the themes explored in this work are as timely as they were in 1963.

Please do yourself a favor and read/listen to this book!