Legal Classic Is America’s Favorite Novel

Every lawyer loves Atticus Finch, and so does America.

Seems most people didn’t really care that Atticus Finch turned out to be a racist in Go Set A Watchman

PBS embarked on a mission to discover American’s favorite work of fiction as part of The Great American Read. And whether Americans really loved the high school staple or just felt obligated to vote for it, Harper Lee’s classic the won the honor. PBS created a list of 100 finalists, based on a demographically diverse survey of 7,200 Americans who were asked to name their favorite novels. Once the list of finalists was established, PBS opened up the voting to the public, and there were almost 4.3 million votes. To Kill A Mockingbird won with a total of 242,275 votes.

Atticus Finch has always held a special place in the hearts of lawyers. As my colleague Joe Patrice noted, “[Atticus Finch] launched the legal careers of thousands of white liberals and sits [] securely atop the pantheon of fictional lawyers.” It’s really a tribute to the best impulses of the legal profession that this book has taken top honors.

Below is the list of the Top 10 of America’s Favorite Novels — you’ll note 7 of the 10 authors on the list are women.

1. “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

2. “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon (series)

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3. “Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling (series)

4. “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

5. “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien (series)

6. “Gone With the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell

7. “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White

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8. “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott

9. “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis (series)

10. “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte


headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).