On February 19, the world said goodbye to Harper Lee, an American writer. At age 89, Lee passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was buried in Monroeville, Alabama on Saturday. Her burial ceremony was extremely small, and only consisted of her closest friends and family. It was a reflection on how she lived her life: quiet and private.

Harper Lee is known to be an influence on many students throughout the country.  Her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is considered an American classic. The storyline follows two young children, Scout and her brother Jem, who learn about racism and prejudice in their southern hometown because their father Atticus Finch is the defense attorney in a local trial. Lee based it off an event that she witnessed when she was 10 years old, growing up in Monroeville, Alabama.

Even though it seems like Lee was born to write, she didn’t start off that way. Her original job was being an airline reservation agent in New York City. Writing was just a pastime for her. But then, her life changed forever when she received a gift. Opening it, Lee discovered that it was a year’s worth of wages collected from her friends. Also inside, a note that encouraged Lee to take a year off from working and to focus on writing a book. Lee took her friends advice and was able to write one of America’s classic reads.

Recently, Lee was able to have her book Go Set a Watchman published. She wrote it in the mid 1950s, however it was a controversy on whether or not it would be able to get published. Go Set a Watchman is introduced as a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, however, it was revealed that this new book was the original rough draft of  To Kill a Mockingbird.

“It’s really sad that she passed away so suddenly, but I feel like she will always be remembered through the positive messages she sends through her books,” says Jacklyn Lavoie, a sophomore.

By reading and spreading the messages in her books, we can keep the spirit of Lee alive. She will always be remembered as someone who influenced the youth and others on thoughts of equality and respect. She will be missed greatly.