<P> In 2006, Lee was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame . During the ceremony, the students and audience gave Lee a standing ovation, and the entire graduating class held up copies of To Kill a Mockingbird to honor her . Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 5, 2007 by President George W. Bush . In his remarks, Bush stated, "One reason To Kill a Mockingbird succeeded is the wise and kind heart of the author, which comes through on every page...To Kill a Mockingbird has influenced the character of our country for the better . It's been a gift to the entire world . As a model of good writing and humane sensibility, this book will be read and studied forever ." </P> <P> After remaining at number one throughout the entire five - month - long voting period in 2018, the American public, via PBS's The Great American Read, chose To Kill A Mockingbird as America's Favorite Book . </P> <P> An earlier draft of To Kill a Mockingbird, titled Go Set a Watchman, was controversially released on July 14, 2015 . This draft, which was completed in 1957, is set 20 years after the time period depicted in To Kill a Mockingbird but is not a continuation of the narrative . This earlier version of the story follows an adult Scout Finch who travels from New York City to visit her father, Atticus Finch, in Maycomb, Alabama, where she is confronted by the intolerance in her community . The Watchman manuscript was believed to have been lost until Lee's lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it, but this claim has been widely disputed . Watchman contains early versions of many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird . According to Lee's agent Andrew Nurnberg, Mockingbird was originally intended to be the first book of a trilogy: "They discussed publishing Mockingbird first, Watchman last, and a shorter connecting novel between the two ." This assertion has been discredited, however, by rare - books expert James S. Jaffe, who reviewed the pages at the request of Lee's attorney and found them to be only another draft of To Kill a Mockingbird . Nurnberg's statement was also contrary to Jonathan Mahler's description of how Watchman was seen as just the first draft of Mockingbird . Instances where many passages overlap between the two books, in some case word for word, also refutes this assertion . </P> <P> The book was made into the well - received 1962 film with the same title, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch . The film's producer, Alan J. Pakula, remembered Universal Pictures executives questioning him about a potential script: "They said,' What story do you plan to tell for the film?' I said,' Have you read the book?' They said,' Yes .' I said,' That's the story ."' The movie was a hit at the box office, quickly grossing more than $20 million from a $2 - million budget . It won three Oscars: Best Actor for Gregory Peck, Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black - and - White, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Horton Foote . It was nominated for five more Oscars including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout . </P>

Synopsis of the book to kill a mockingbird