A review by rose492
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I read this book several years ago and really enjoyed it. However, this time I noticed some huge problematic flaws.
This is basically a white savior story where the main character Skeeter swoops in and makes change in Jackson in the 1960s. Though Minny and Aibileen have initiative and are good characters,  Skeeter seems to solve all their problems! She gives up so much to help them when she doesn’t even have to! Yay for her for not being so racist!! This was written by a white author and it felt as though she saw herself in Skeeter. I was honestly shocked I didn’t notice any of this on my first read. A line that really stuck out to me was “I am in the old Jackson kitchens with the maids, hot and sticky in their white uniforms…. I let their colored memories draw me out of my own miserable life.” She’s getting over a breakup. She writes this book to get over a breakup. There was some interesting perspectives from the point of view of minny and Aibileen, but the skeeter parts were just bad. I found the topic of the book very interesting, but it wasn't written in a good way.
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