THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the best loved novels of the 20th century. For the last fifty years, the novel's celebrated author, Harper Lee, has said almost nothing on the record. THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR is the story of Mill's friendship with the Lee sisters. It is a testament to the great intelligence, keen wit, and tremendous storytelling power of these two women, especially that of Nelle.

For the last fifty years, the novel's celebrated author, Harper Lee, has said almost nothing on the record. Journalists have trekked to her hometown of Monroeville, AL, where Harper Lee, known by her friends as Nelle, has lived with her sister Alice, for decades, trying and failing to get an interview with the author.

But, in 2001, the Lee sisters opened their door for Pulitzer Prize winning Chicago Tribune reporter Marja Mills. It was the beginning of a long conversation – and a friendship that has continued ever since. In 2004, at the Lees' behest, Mills moved into the house next door to the sisters. She spent the next eighteen months there, talking and sharing stories over meals, many cups of coffee, and daily drives in the countryside.

Along with members of the Lees' tight inner circle, the sisters and Mills would go fishing, feed the ducks, go to the Laundromat, watch the Crimson Tide, drink coffee at McDonald's, and explore all over Lower Alabama. Nelle shared her love of history, literature, and the quirky Southern way of life with Mills, as well as her keen sense of how journalism should be practiced.

As the sisters decided to let Mills tell their story, Nelle helped make sure she was getting the story -and the South- right. Mills was given a rare opportunity to be part of the Lees' life in Alabama, and to hear them reflect on their upbringing, their corner of the Deep South, their daily lives, how To Kill A Mockingbird impacted their lives, and why Nelle Harper Lee chose to never write another novel.

THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR is the story of Mill's friendship with the Lee sisters. It is a testament to the great intelligence, keen wit, and tremendous storytelling power of these two women, especially that of Nelle.

Marja Mills is a former reporter for the Chicago Tribune and a team Pulitzer Prize winner for a 2001 series about O'Hare Airport, entitled Gateway to Gridlock. THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR is her first book.