Book 71 -- The Help
Book 71 - The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Attendees:
Amy Marr
Jami Walsh
Nick Conti
Sarah Jay
Bethany Salek
Emily Haley
Carol Conti
Kids:
Ainsley
Giana
Theo
Enjoyment:
Amy: -- Loved it. Couldn’t put it down.
Nick: -- Liked what he read.
Jami: -- Really liked
Sarah: -- Liked it. Gave it 5 stars on Good Reads
Bethany: -- liked it a lot.
Emily: -- Fantastic
Carol: -- Loved it and used part of it in her class when talking about Civil Rights.
Discussed the use of language and how each character’s voice was different and how the author wrote in the dialect.
Discussed if there was a term for a series of 4 books similar to a trilogy for 3 books.
Bethany looked it up on her phone and found conflicting information one source says quadrilogy and another says tetralogy.
1. Who is your favorite character and why?
N: Skeeter because that’s when it became interesting to him.
E: Aibileen because she was the most relatable as a voice and affects all the other people in the story.
C: Aibileen admired how she always put Mae Mobley first. Loved the parts where she taught the kids about MLK.
A: Aibileen felt she saw the most growth in her.
S: Celia intriguing because you didn’t get hear what’s in his head.
B: Celia trainwreck waiting to happen fun to watch.
J: Celia, more because she was the most intriguing. Would like to see a whole book about it.
2. Can someone be a good mother and a flawed person?
B: of course. Some people are really good at one thing and really crappy at another.
Discussed how mean Hilly was. Discussed difference in race relations between the 60’s and now.
C: Would like to know more about Hilly and her mother and their relationship.
3. Is Skeeter’s mother a sympathetic or unsympathetic character?
S : She’s totally sympathetic.
J: Her mother obviously loved her, but was just incapable of showing it.
Discussed Elizabeth and the fact that she was obviously suffering from PPD. In today’s world probably wouldn’t have kids.
4. How is a person’s character shaped by the times they live?
C: Only a small part of it.
E: It effects you if you’re on the precipice of big change.
5. Were you bothered that Skeeter was willing to overlook Stewart’s faults?
A: thinks she was doing it to make her mother happy.
J: think it’s more that she liked the idea of having someone love her.
S: felt like they hid a lot those days.
6. Had Aibileen stayed working with Mae Mobley would she have ended up a racist?
Possibly.
C: her personality may have saved her.
A: The times were changing and by the time she was older.
S: Just because of the area she was growing up in it’s possible.
Racism is mostly taught.
7. What do you think about Minnie’s pie for Miss Hilly?
A: Didn’t see it coming. Did not anticipate the awful thing.
S: Wouldn’t have gone that far.
We all loved the part where Hilly’s Mom bought the pie.
Discussed that the author left you wanting.
Upcoming Book:
May Book: Lost Books of the Odyssey
June Book: The Reliable Wife
Next Meeting:
Friday, June 4th, LOH 7:00 PM.
Attendees:
Amy Marr
Jami Walsh
Nick Conti
Sarah Jay
Bethany Salek
Emily Haley
Carol Conti
Kids:
Ainsley
Giana
Theo
Enjoyment:
Amy: -- Loved it. Couldn’t put it down.
Nick: -- Liked what he read.
Jami: -- Really liked
Sarah: -- Liked it. Gave it 5 stars on Good Reads
Bethany: -- liked it a lot.
Emily: -- Fantastic
Carol: -- Loved it and used part of it in her class when talking about Civil Rights.
Discussed the use of language and how each character’s voice was different and how the author wrote in the dialect.
Discussed if there was a term for a series of 4 books similar to a trilogy for 3 books.
Bethany looked it up on her phone and found conflicting information one source says quadrilogy and another says tetralogy.
1. Who is your favorite character and why?
N: Skeeter because that’s when it became interesting to him.
E: Aibileen because she was the most relatable as a voice and affects all the other people in the story.
C: Aibileen admired how she always put Mae Mobley first. Loved the parts where she taught the kids about MLK.
A: Aibileen felt she saw the most growth in her.
S: Celia intriguing because you didn’t get hear what’s in his head.
B: Celia trainwreck waiting to happen fun to watch.
J: Celia, more because she was the most intriguing. Would like to see a whole book about it.
2. Can someone be a good mother and a flawed person?
B: of course. Some people are really good at one thing and really crappy at another.
Discussed how mean Hilly was. Discussed difference in race relations between the 60’s and now.
C: Would like to know more about Hilly and her mother and their relationship.
3. Is Skeeter’s mother a sympathetic or unsympathetic character?
S : She’s totally sympathetic.
J: Her mother obviously loved her, but was just incapable of showing it.
Discussed Elizabeth and the fact that she was obviously suffering from PPD. In today’s world probably wouldn’t have kids.
4. How is a person’s character shaped by the times they live?
C: Only a small part of it.
E: It effects you if you’re on the precipice of big change.
5. Were you bothered that Skeeter was willing to overlook Stewart’s faults?
A: thinks she was doing it to make her mother happy.
J: think it’s more that she liked the idea of having someone love her.
S: felt like they hid a lot those days.
6. Had Aibileen stayed working with Mae Mobley would she have ended up a racist?
Possibly.
C: her personality may have saved her.
A: The times were changing and by the time she was older.
S: Just because of the area she was growing up in it’s possible.
Racism is mostly taught.
7. What do you think about Minnie’s pie for Miss Hilly?
A: Didn’t see it coming. Did not anticipate the awful thing.
S: Wouldn’t have gone that far.
We all loved the part where Hilly’s Mom bought the pie.
Discussed that the author left you wanting.
Upcoming Book:
May Book: Lost Books of the Odyssey
June Book: The Reliable Wife
Next Meeting:
Friday, June 4th, LOH 7:00 PM.