BOOK CLUB - THE HELP

Okay, so here is my little book report/discussion group post for The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

I had heard so many great things and recommendations about this book, that I felt like it would be a great pick for our book club. And the book was really good. I wouldn't say great, but I'd say really good. Not one of my favorite books I've ever read, but I'm glad that I read it. Provided me a new perspective of slavery, segregation and civil rights.

So, some of my thoughts. . . First off, I had no idea what a long book it was. Wow. And I will be honest, it was a little slow going at the first. In fact, if I hadn't been reading it for a book club, I'm not sure if I would have finished. It's that kinda slow. But, once I got into it a ways, I couldn't put it down. Especially the 2nd half of the book. It just completely speed by. The story really picks up, and this is where I ended up falling for the characters of the book.

The book is set in the early 1960's in the deep south. Mississippi to be exact. The author writes from the point of view of three different characters. First is Aibileen, who is and always has been, a African American nanny/maid for white women and their families. She raises the kids, does all the cooking and cleaning for them. She tells her story about why she does this, and her experiences waiting hand and foot (and often treated like a slave) for these rich white women of the south. Even though slavery was outlawed years ago, racism, and segregation still lie deep in the hearts of white people throughout the south. Then there is Minny, Aibileen's good friend, who is also a maid/housekeeper for a white women, but who is much more outspoken and rough around the edges. Being an African American women in the south has taken it's toll on Minny. And lastly, Miss Skeeter, who is a young, unmarried, white women who was raised and cared for by an African American woman much like Aibileen and Minny. The story is of these three women and how their lives intersect and combine in a way that almost doesn't seem possible.

At the end I was so impressed to learn the book's author Kathryn Stockett was a white woman. This is so surprising because of the way in which she is able to so easily speak/write and portray the thoughts of a black women of the early sixties. She was raised in Jackson, Mississippi and had a family maid of her own Demetrie, growing up, which is where much of her inspiration and knowledge about this unique situation stems from.

I would very much recommend this book to others who enjoy enlightening fictional reads. Although not completely true, the book still lends to a unique authenticity that is often found only in memoires and non-fiction. Out of five stars I give this book a hearty four.