Now, a Literary Moment...

In Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Attorney Atticus Finch defends an innocent black man in the Jim Crow south.

Sandra Day O'Connor: I think that it strongly influenced many young people to go to law school. To try to become lawyers, be an Atticus.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Sandra Day O'Connor: I had a splendid young woman law clerk who grew up in a very tiny town in northern Utah? She knew after reading that book what she wanted to do. Her parents were not able to afford to send her to college and she took on two jobs to attend the state university where she was a star student and inspired always by this book."

Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize In 1961 -- It's been inspiring future lawyers and writers ever since.

This Literary Moment was created by the National Endowment for the Arts