Dear Harper Lee,

I believe thanks are in order. Thank you for writing one of the most important books in American literature. Thank you for writing a book that touched my life. Thank you for writing a book that changed the way I think.

Unlike most people, I did not read "To Kill a Mockingbird" for a school assignment. The first time I read what would become my favorite book was at the suggestion of the two most important and influential women in my life: my grandmother and my mom. Little did I know that Harper Lee was soon to be added to that list.

My grandmother, a retired English teacher, was horrified to learn that my mom never had to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in school. She quickly remedied that, giving the novel to my mom as a Christmas gift. My mom is a very quick reader, and she soon finished the book and recommended it to me.

I was only in sixth or seventh grade at the time, but my mom and grandmother both thought that "To Kill a Mockingbird" would provide me with valuable life lessons, in spite of its somewhat adult content.

I will be the first to admit that I didn't really like the novel when I first started it. I thought that it would be boring and lame, because it was about kids who were much younger than me and their weird obsession with a strange neighbor. I didn't see what "To Kill a Mockingbird" had to offer me.

But I kept reading, and before long I found myself completely enraptured by the story. I felt like I was living in Maycomb, Alabama, and I felt personally attached to Scout and Jem. I didn't realize until much later that it was Atticus who was the real influence on my life.

It was Atticus' wise words that would stick with me later in life. As a sixth grader, I was mostly excited to read about the mysterious Boo Radley. But when I reread the novel in a high school English course, I was struck by how profoundly Atticus articulates his thoughts.

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

This quote has stuck with me ever since I read the book. Atticus Finch acts as a sort of guide, or moral compass, to me. I think about that quote from time to time and wonder if I am living courageously, as Atticus would define it. It makes me question my actions and thoughts.

I think that's what you need to have a good book. It needs to linger with you; it needs to make you think, ask questions and change your view of the world. For me, there is no better example than "To Kill a Mockingbird." It gives me a new perspective, and every time I read it, I find something else that stays with me.

I have that perspective thanks to Harper Lee. She poured her heart out onto the pages, and we are better for it.

Thank you Harper Lee — you will be missed.