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When I first saw the cover of The Help, it looked like something that my mom would love, but that I would be bored to death by. Well, the old adage about book covers is true, and after reading a couple pages of Aibileen's phonetically spelled African American dialect narration, I was hooked.
The Help is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of African American maids working for white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's and of a young writer who's looking for a passion to write about. The narration switches between Aibileen, an older maid with an empty home and a deep bond with the children she's raised; Minny, a maid with a full house and an attitude that's just lost her her job; and Skeeter, the daughter of a white farmer who, much to the dismay of her disapproving mother, has come home from college with an English degree instead of a husband. Together, they work to overcome the racial barriers of their society by telling the stories of the help.
This book has an excellent focus on character. It takes the racism in the society of the deep south in this time period and makes it personal and real. It shows all sides of prejudice with a real human face. From Skeeter's questioning of the discrimination around her and struggles with the pressures of her mother and her friends, to the maids' everyday battle with prejudice, to the white mothers' treatment of their help, every character is deeply affected by the deep-rooted prejudice and social pressures of their society. The struggles of these characters are gripping and compelling. How they grow and develop is thoroughly interesting.
I would definitely encourage anyone to read The Help, it paints a wonderful picture of this place and time.
The Help is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of African American maids working for white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's and of a young writer who's looking for a passion to write about. The narration switches between Aibileen, an older maid with an empty home and a deep bond with the children she's raised; Minny, a maid with a full house and an attitude that's just lost her her job; and Skeeter, the daughter of a white farmer who, much to the dismay of her disapproving mother, has come home from college with an English degree instead of a husband. Together, they work to overcome the racial barriers of their society by telling the stories of the help.
This book has an excellent focus on character. It takes the racism in the society of the deep south in this time period and makes it personal and real. It shows all sides of prejudice with a real human face. From Skeeter's questioning of the discrimination around her and struggles with the pressures of her mother and her friends, to the maids' everyday battle with prejudice, to the white mothers' treatment of their help, every character is deeply affected by the deep-rooted prejudice and social pressures of their society. The struggles of these characters are gripping and compelling. How they grow and develop is thoroughly interesting.
I would definitely encourage anyone to read The Help, it paints a wonderful picture of this place and time.