The Help by Kathryn Stockett
“Ever morning, until you dead in the ground, you gone have to make this decision. You gone have to ask yourself, "Am I gone believe what them fools say about me today?”
This is a great story, fictional but true to life, about life in Mississippi during the early 1960s. It is told from the perspective of two black maids and one white woman. The white woman, Skeeter, wants to become a writer, so she secretly interviews black maids to find out what it is like for them to work for their white employees. The maids’ primary responsibility is to care for the young white children, who form a strong affection for them. This is an amazing first novel by the author who draws upon memories of her own family’s maid who stayed involved with her even after the author’s parents divorced when she was six years old.
I had lots of favorite characters I was rooting for, and also a few that I disliked. The well-executed plot is gripping and the characters grow on you. The author deftly painted a realistic picture of what Jackson, Mississippi had to be like in the early sixties and although this is well before my time, I felt part of the community and the drama that took place in this small town.
The stories were more inspirational than sad. I felt pure admiration for the day-to-day lives these women lived, the constant humiliations, and the courage it took to just go on. There sure was a complex social structure in place and, in those days, it must have seemed as if there would never be changes. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It doesn’t matter if you enjoy reading historical novels, mysteries, or romance - this book has a little of everything in it. This is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it .
