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A review by laurenmichellebrock
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
3.0
In 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, Kathryn Stockett introduces readers to Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter, three women whose lives become intricately woven when Skeeter decides to write a book about the colored women who raise and look after white families' babies and houses. With this idea, Skeeter Phelan starts a subtle revolution in this small southern town to change the system of life regarding blacks and whites. Reluctant at first, other women agree to help Skeeter with her book and expose the tales of working for the towns' white families. Filled with scandal, heartache, joy, and inspiration, these women bond to create a time-changing piece of literature that rocks the small town of Mississippi to its core.
I could relate to Skeeter in that she pursued something she was passionate about, and she went after it determinedly. She is also misunderstood by her family and friends, which is something I can empathize with, moreso when it comes to my family, though. For all the trouble Minny had with keeping jobs, I think her quips at her white bosses were actually brave. I couldn't see myself taking crap from someone who thought they were better than me, and especially to look at me with such a racist eye. Aibileen, though, she's the way I should be - collected and mindful of her situation. Although, there is that gray area she starts to see, which is what Skeeter begins to see, and what I think Minny has seen all along, that tends to blur the lines between whites and blacks, the help and the bosses. It's like what she says at the end of the book - there are no lines between people, not really, we just create them and let them control the way we perceive the world.
I really liked the way Katheryn played out the mysteriousness of her characters in regards to what was going on with Ms. Celia, what the Terrible Awful Thing was that Minny did to Hilly, and what on earth happened to Skeeter's mother's help, Constantine. Those secrets tugged readers along through their unveiling, and she exposed them right when I was about to explode with impatience. And that Terrible Awful Thing was terrible indeed. All through the book I kept thinking, "Now, she couldn't have done anything that bad," but, boy, was I wrong. The Terrible Awful Thing was...ugh...yeah, it was terrible. I mean, you'll stop reading and get this mental image and then your face will cringe up, and you'll be like..."No...oh my God, really?" Yeah, it's that bad. But Hilly had it coming.
I've seen in several places where other readers try to accuse this book for trying to be another To Kill a Mockingbird, and failing miserably. I thought that was harsh before I even read the book, and I think that's especially harsh after experiencing these characters' stories. This book is still highly relevant, and I would know - I live in the south and I still see racism every day. Growing up, I've been surrounded by people who still clutch tightly to their old south beliefs, and I could share in the disappointment Skeeter felt surrounded by the ignorance of her family and friends. So, I think this book is incredibly important, especially for people of the south and raised in southern culture, and even for people who travel to the states from other countries.
I think this book will be like To Kill a Mockinbird in that it will be timeless for the same reasons Mockingbird is: where there are different types of people, there will be racism, discrimination, etc. just based on cultural differences. While, I will say I see less of it at college, I saw it a lot in high school and still see it when I visit home. The issues that Stockett brings up in this book consider a wide variety of people and not just blacks and whites. That may be the races this book is centered around, but I think it stands for everyone struggling with, not only ethnic, but any discriminatory differences between people in relationships, good or bad.
I could relate to Skeeter in that she pursued something she was passionate about, and she went after it determinedly. She is also misunderstood by her family and friends, which is something I can empathize with, moreso when it comes to my family, though. For all the trouble Minny had with keeping jobs, I think her quips at her white bosses were actually brave. I couldn't see myself taking crap from someone who thought they were better than me, and especially to look at me with such a racist eye. Aibileen, though, she's the way I should be - collected and mindful of her situation. Although, there is that gray area she starts to see, which is what Skeeter begins to see, and what I think Minny has seen all along, that tends to blur the lines between whites and blacks, the help and the bosses. It's like what she says at the end of the book - there are no lines between people, not really, we just create them and let them control the way we perceive the world.
I really liked the way Katheryn played out the mysteriousness of her characters in regards to what was going on with Ms. Celia, what the Terrible Awful Thing was that Minny did to Hilly, and what on earth happened to Skeeter's mother's help, Constantine. Those secrets tugged readers along through their unveiling, and she exposed them right when I was about to explode with impatience. And that Terrible Awful Thing was terrible indeed. All through the book I kept thinking, "Now, she couldn't have done anything that bad," but, boy, was I wrong. The Terrible Awful Thing was...ugh...yeah, it was terrible. I mean, you'll stop reading and get this mental image and then your face will cringe up, and you'll be like..."No...oh my God, really?" Yeah, it's that bad. But Hilly had it coming.
I've seen in several places where other readers try to accuse this book for trying to be another To Kill a Mockingbird, and failing miserably. I thought that was harsh before I even read the book, and I think that's especially harsh after experiencing these characters' stories. This book is still highly relevant, and I would know - I live in the south and I still see racism every day. Growing up, I've been surrounded by people who still clutch tightly to their old south beliefs, and I could share in the disappointment Skeeter felt surrounded by the ignorance of her family and friends. So, I think this book is incredibly important, especially for people of the south and raised in southern culture, and even for people who travel to the states from other countries.
I think this book will be like To Kill a Mockinbird in that it will be timeless for the same reasons Mockingbird is: where there are different types of people, there will be racism, discrimination, etc. just based on cultural differences. While, I will say I see less of it at college, I saw it a lot in high school and still see it when I visit home. The issues that Stockett brings up in this book consider a wide variety of people and not just blacks and whites. That may be the races this book is centered around, but I think it stands for everyone struggling with, not only ethnic, but any discriminatory differences between people in relationships, good or bad.