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A review by lizzycatslibrary
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4.0
I was really hesitant when I decided to read this. I had previously had little to no desire to do so and just had an uncomfortable feeling about the whole book. I had heard of some controversy about the book and it being racist. It was defined as a book where "yet again a white woman has to come around and save the black characters." When I read the book I was very cautious because of this and was pleasantly surprised to find that I did not feel that way at all.
Eugenia is a white woman who grew up in the south during the 60s. We come to meet her when she has just graduated from college and returned to her home town. She is searching for a purpose in life besides just getting married and becoming a homemaker.
I feel Eugenia's character is presented as well-meaning yet naive. I think the fact that she realizes she is naive and is humble to the fact that she has white privilege and that things are not equal brings an honesty and humility to the character that allows us as readers to view her lessons from the black community without it being problematic.
Both Minny and Aibileen are strong no nonsense characters who express the concerns and difficulties of living during this turbulent time. They are both smart, knowledgeable, intricate characters who use their own voices to tell a vast majority of the book.
While I understand peoples concern with a white woman writing the perspective of a black character, to say doing so is wrong and should not be allowed I feel is completely opposite to the purpose of a writer in general. Writers take what they know as well as what they do not know to create unique pieces of art that convey a story told by their own mind. They use these experiences to both learn and teach. While I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that this is written by a white woman who would not have experienced such prejudice in her life, it is also important not to reject her work for her taking the time and effort to do so. I read her afterword and in this essay she acknowledges her inability to completely convey the characters as she hasn't lived their life, but this was her attempt to do justice to the intricate and complicated lives that they faced during the Civil Rights era.
All and all, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Four stars.
Eugenia is a white woman who grew up in the south during the 60s. We come to meet her when she has just graduated from college and returned to her home town. She is searching for a purpose in life besides just getting married and becoming a homemaker.
I feel Eugenia's character is presented as well-meaning yet naive. I think the fact that she realizes she is naive and is humble to the fact that she has white privilege and that things are not equal brings an honesty and humility to the character that allows us as readers to view her lessons from the black community without it being problematic.
Both Minny and Aibileen are strong no nonsense characters who express the concerns and difficulties of living during this turbulent time. They are both smart, knowledgeable, intricate characters who use their own voices to tell a vast majority of the book.
While I understand peoples concern with a white woman writing the perspective of a black character, to say doing so is wrong and should not be allowed I feel is completely opposite to the purpose of a writer in general. Writers take what they know as well as what they do not know to create unique pieces of art that convey a story told by their own mind. They use these experiences to both learn and teach. While I think it is important to acknowledge the fact that this is written by a white woman who would not have experienced such prejudice in her life, it is also important not to reject her work for her taking the time and effort to do so. I read her afterword and in this essay she acknowledges her inability to completely convey the characters as she hasn't lived their life, but this was her attempt to do justice to the intricate and complicated lives that they faced during the Civil Rights era.
All and all, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Four stars.