"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
I’m a bit embarrassed that it has taken me so long to read this book. A few months ago, I put this book on hold at the library, but I was unable to get it since I was in Florida when it was my turn to read it. Last week at our company book sale, I was happy to see that Penguin published this book. It has been a really long time since I got a book that I just couldn’t put down. I was enthralled of Stockett’s depiction of the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. I rarely read books about the Civil Rights Movement because these books kind of get my blood boiling. This book was no exception, but it was very well written and descriptive. The Help follows the intersecting lives of Aibileen, a house maid/nanny for a small family; Miss Skeeter, a college-educated young woman with aspirations of writing greatness while being stuck in a racist town; and finally Minny, the firecracker maid who has a sassy-mouth and attitude. I enjoyed reading each character’s journey, but I especially loved Minny the most. She was such a pistol. Books like these make me appreciate how I never had to live through such hard and scary times. I was driving with my husband this morning and told him a bit about the book. Everyone in my family is a different race, so I have never had to experience any kind of weird racisms toward other races. It is a foreign concept to me, and it just makes me mad. I’m glad I read this book, but I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I think all readers would want a huge comeuppance on the main villain, Hilly than what was written. Oh well, it was a fantastic book.
Jen's Rating: *****