A descendant of Robert E. Lee, Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. She studied law at the University of Alabama, but left school to pursue a writing career.

Her only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is set in Maycomb, Alabama. It tells the story of a white attorney who, by defending an innocent black man, refuses to give in to the pressure of the prejudiced society in which he lives. Lee received a Pulitzer Prize in 1961 for her work. She retired to Monroeville and never wrote again.

Source: America the Beautiful.For more information on this resource, visit Grolier Online.