Madison History Association: Harper Lee's Alabama and the Story She Told with Polly Padden

Polly Padden's informative presentation will describe Harper Lee's life, family, and the real-world people and events that inspired the author to write her 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Set in the 1930's, Lee's book reflects the tumult of those times, but it is also a product of societal challenges in the 1950s and 1960s when Lee first began her work. Join us and gain a better understanding of Alabama history during these periods and how that history is reflected in the novel so many of us cherish.  Come a little early for a meet and greet with the Madison History Association. 

Polly Padden, Colonel, USAF (ret), is a PhD candidate in history at Mississippi State University and an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Polly is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and the US Army War College.  She was the lead intern for the Vicksburg Project at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. 

Contact madison@hmcpl.org with questions.