Harper Lee,

It is not an exaggeration to say that your book has changed thousands of lives. It is not an exaggeration to say that your writing has made life brighter or that your narrative has changed the way people read books. It is not an exaggeration to say that, when you passed, you took with you thousands of hearts, including my own.

I did not know you personally. Yet, like any avid reader, authors have been my friends since I was little. And you were one of my first friends. To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book that I read that was considered an adult book, and it caused an immediate rift in my life. Scout and Jem changed me, and you too, for giving them to me- to everyone- took a special place in my heart.

It hit me hard to hear that you had died. To hear that you, the woman who had made such an enormous impact on my life, was no longer walking the same world as I.

And yet, despite my sadness, I find it hard to be mind-numbingly somber.

Maybe it’s because your books preached strength in difficult times; they gave me the courage to stand up to people and see the flaws of those I admired and continue to love. Maybe it's because your books were filled with curiosity and exploration and ends not really being ends. Or it's because you helped teach so many about the wrongs in our society and gave us hope at the same time.

Or maybe it’s because I like to think that you’re in these books. In Scout’s light, in Jem’s heart, in Atticus’ stoicism. Maybe I’m not horribly sad because I know that, even though you are no longer living physically, you will always be there for everyone through these novels. You will always be telling us to love, to understand and to live freely and unapologetically.

Your books changed the world for the better- you changed the world for the better. You changed my life for the better. All those vast, difficult aspects of your books: racism, the split between people and generation, the loss of loved ones, the troubles of childhood, the defense of the innocent, the bravery of the good and the understanding of the evil... it all gave me sight. These aspects helped me understand it was easier to go through life. And I regret that I was never able to thank you and that I was never able to tell you how much you really meant to me.

So, even though I’m late, I’ll tell you now: You mean so much to me. You were a friend, an inspiration and a guide. You were strong in your beliefs and style, humble and respectful and human. I heard, once, that you fed ducks in a pond near your house. That makes me happy like when I pick up Mockingbird or Watchman. And maybe it’s an anecdote repeated just to show how down to earth you were. But I don’t really care- because feeding ducks is something that happy people do, and I wanted you to be happy.

I will miss you terribly.

But I suppose that I’ll always have you in these books, won’t I?

Rest in peace, Ms. Lee. Know that I am standing as you pass.