The Mockingbird Next Door

May 19, 2014
Former Chicago Tribune reporter and first-time author Mills befriended the famously private Lee sisters of Monroeville, Ala., back in 2001, and moved into the house next door in 2004. Initially on assignment from her newspaper to gather information on Harper Lee (known as Nelle), neither Mills nor her cameraman, Terrence James, had any illusions about succeeding where countless other journalists had failed. But they were charged with at least trying to make contact with the famously reclusive author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Here, Mills recounts the surprisingly easy and natural way she did indeed meet, first, older sister Alice, a still-practicing attorney in her 80s, and then Nelle, whose sharp, eccentric personality, keen opinions, and generous reminiscences make this a must-read for fans. Subjects covered include the tribulations attending a first-time novelist’s instant fame to Lee’s childhood friendship with Truman Capote. An atmospheric image of the South, then and now, emerges as Mills recounts daily life with the sisters, as well as time with Nelle in her longtime second home, New York City. While upfront about what few areas (mostly “to spare the feelings” of living persons) must remain off the record, Nelle’s sweet friendship with Mills elicits a forthcoming portrait of the author, her family, her time, and her South that is thoughtful, witty, and rich in feeling. Agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency.

May 15, 2014
In her first book, a journalist offers a gentle, loving portrait of a reclusive writer.After To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960, Harper Lee (b. 1926) was overwhelmed with attention. She sat for interviews, signed so many copies of the novel that she developed tendonitis, and watched with alarm as Monroeville, Alabama, the small town in which she lived, was turned into a tourist attraction. Then she retreated, refusing to talk to reporters or cooperate with biographers, determined to live her life quietly and privately. In 2001, when Mills came to Monroeville on assignment from the Chicago Tribune, she expected to take notes on the town's ambience and, at most, to interview a few people who knew Lee. But Lee-known by her first name, Nelle-and her 89-year-old sister, Alice, a lawyer, were interested in Chicago's One Book, One Chicago program, which had chosen Mockingbird for that year's citywide reading. When Mills rang the doorbell at the Lees' home, Alice invited her in for a long conversation. This led to repeated visits and resulted in a friendship that continues, even with both sisters now in assisted living facilities. Mills portrays Nelle as a grown-up Scout, the feisty and defiant heroine of Mockingbird. "Even at their ages," writes the author, "it was clear Alice was the steady, responsible older sister, and Nelle Harper the spirited, spontaneous younger one." The sisters lived modestly, with an eclectic circle of friends that included "a retired hairdresser, a pharmacy clerk, a one-time librarian, and a former bookkeeper who also was the wife of a retired bank president." Often, friends joined in the outings, breakfasts and dinners that Mills and Lee shared. Together, they watched two movies about Truman Capote, with whom Lee had worked as researcher for In Cold Blood; their relationship soured later. "Truman was a world-class gossip," Lee told Mills.The sisters' trust that Mills was not a gossip is borne out in this charming portrait of a small Southern town and its most famous resident.

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Starred review from June 1, 2014
Harper Lee, author of the national touchstone, To Kill a Mockingbird, withdrew from the relentless vortex of fame and never published another book. Her silence, like that of J. D. Salinger, has been a compelling literary mystery. When To Kill a Mockingbird was chosen for One Book, One Chicago in 2001, Chicago Tribune reporter Mills traveled to Lee's Alabama hometown, certain that she would never get anywhere near the author. Instead, Mills found herself living a literary fairy tale, as Alice, Harper's older sister by 15 years, still working as an attorney in her nineties, ushered Mills into their book-filled home. Soon Mills, much to her astonishment, is watching football games, going fishing, and sharing meals with Alice, Nelle (Harper is her middle name), and their friends. When the Lees express their hope that Mills will record their reminiscences and set the record straight, she rents the house next door and devotes herself to listening to tales of the Lee family; Nelle's relationship with their childhood neighbor, Truman Capote ( Truman was a psychopath, honey ); and the nearly overwhelming repercussions of Nelle's novel. Mills' struggles with lupus bring her even closer to the sisters. As she portrays the exceptional Lee women and their modest, slow-paced world with awed precision, Mills creates a uniquely intimate, ruminative, and gently illuminating biographical memoir.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014

Former Chicago Tribune reporter Mills uses taped interviews and personal interactions to document her multiyear friendship (the author's word) with Nelle Harper Lee (b. 1926), author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Mills focuses on Lee, her sister Alice Finch Lee, and their charming coterie of mostly septuagenarian and octogenarian friends, as they go visiting, to the laundromat, and feed ducks at the end of the day. Mills first met Harper in 2001, and she appears to have had the trust and friendship of the Lees while she lived next door to the technology-shy sisters in tiny Monroeville, AL, primarily in 2005 and 2006. However, in 2011, the novelist issued a blunt statement that she neither willingly participated in, nor authorized, Mills's book. The author's descriptions of shared cups of coffee, social outings, and hours of recordings, however, seem to support her claim of being invited in. Throughout the book Mills avoids any hint of gossipy tone and allows the Lees to unfold their story on their own terms. VERDICT This highly readable work details Harper Lee's life up to her stroke in 2007. Readers will learn as much about Mills's personal struggles with lupus as about why Lee never wrote another book and what she truly holds in her heart. [See Prepub Alert, 1/26/14.]--Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2014

In 2001, Chicago Tribune journalist Mills went to Monroeville, AL, to attempt what other journalists had failed to do: get an interview with legendary novelist Harper Lee. Not only did she succeed but she ended up befriending both Lee and her sister, with whom Lee lived. Mills eventually moved in next door and spent 18 months chatting with the sisters, learning about family history, imbibing Southern lore, and meeting their friends. Here is her account of that time--and now maybe we can learn why Harper Lee never wrote another novel.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.