I love the sympathetic way the Black characters are treated by Ms. Lee; there used to be a doctor in my town who was the personification of Atticus Finch.
I read that Atticus Finch is cited often as the reason people choose to become lawyers. Evidently, Alabama has even erected a statue in his honor. He's a very interesting character, although his view on guns is ridiculous.
I really liked the book--it held my interest for every page, and that's a bit rare. The narrator was an adult voice though, and didn't quite jive with her being a young girl. I suspect the author used a child as the narrator in order to express the racists views of the time while still distancing herself from them and developing sympathy.
I haven't seen the movie, and until I read the book, I had no idea what the story was about.