Customer Reviews

Monroeville: Literary Capital of Alabama (AL) (Images of America)

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Growing up in Monroeville Alabama, I took Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" for granted. I really liked the book and I read it over and over, but I had little interest in the history of my hometown. To me, history was something that was as far from Monroeville as I could get. Years later, after I came to my senses and had learned to love the history of my county and my state, I returned to the works of Harper Lee and her childhood friend Turman Capote and the town that helped to shape their literary creations. "Monroeville Literary Capital of Alabama" is an excellent guide to the small town in southwest Alabama that has given birth to two remarkable writers Harper Lee and Truman Capote. The book is filled with photographs of Monroeville from the very early 20th century to the 1930's-the time of the events of the novel-to the late 1990's. Along with the photos is a short history of the town including the history of the 1903 courthouse (now the Monroe County Heritage Museum) whose courtroom served as a model for the courtroom in the 1962 film version of the book. Along with the history behind the book are stories about the men and women who lived in Monroeville during the 20th century and helped to make the town what it is today.It was written by Kathy McCoy who served as the first director of the Monroe County Heritage Museum and who has a deep love for the town and its people. This book is perfect for the diehard Mockingbird fan who wants to know more about the town behind the novel and for anyone who has an interest in Alabama's literary heritage. This book should be read along with "Monroeville: The Search for Harper Lee's Maycomb" for a more detailed understanding behind the book that is the great American novel of the 20th century.