Nelle Harper Lee is an American author best known for her 1961 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Apart from this, she assisted Truman Capote in writing his non fiction novel, In Cold Blood. She has also written articles like Love – In Other Words, When Children Discover America, and Christmas to Me. Lee was born in Alabama where she grew up amidst the Southern sensibilities which she so adeptly voices in To Kill a Mockingbird. She attended the University of Alabama. She worked in New York City as a ticket agent for Eastern Airlines before quitting her job to finally pursue her dream of writing. She went on to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom for this contribution to literature.