The Help

For her first novel, this author did an amazing job. I love to read but it is rare that a book affects me like this. This was one of those books that I thought about all day at work and couldn't wait to get home to continue reading. It's been a long, long time since I've had a book like that. I enjoyed the first person story telling of each chapter as it went from Minny to Abileen to Skeeter and back. I think this was the absolute best way to write this book. It was brilliant, frankly and I don't think the book would have flowed quite so well if it had been written from only one person's perspective. This book brought out all sorts of emotions in me. I got angry, (Hilly...grrr!!), I was disgusted, I was happy, I felt respect and for some characters, deep respect, I laughed, (Minnie...oh, wonderful Minnie), I cried, I felt shame, I was scared, anxious, apprehensive...sigh. I've read a lot of books. Many books have made me emotional but I don't know any book that has made me feel these things consistently, throughout the book from the beginning all the way to the end. This writer grabbed me right from the start and kept my interest to the very last word. Her characters were incredibly well developed and I cared for Skeeter, her mother, the Help and little Mae Mobely. I did not care for Hilly, Elizabeth and their ilk but this writer made me feel intensely about them. I really wanted to smack Hilly right in the mouth. Many times. I even started to care a little bit about that ditz, Miss Celia. But mostly, I cared about the help. I adored Minnie. I love that woman! She may have had a thick wall of defense around her but inside she was soft. She tried not to care, many times but she did care. Not that she would admit it, maybe not even to herself. I loved how she would bite her tongue, bite her tongue, bite her tongue and STILL something would come out. I totally understand. It does get one in to trouble a lot but for some of us, the candor we cannot control, no matter how hard we try. And the pie? Oh how I laughed! Gutsy, strong willed, beautiful woman. And Abileen, with her warm, giving heart. Her constant prayers. Her willingness to be the first to work with Skeeter on the book. All the praises she gave Minnie, she failed to realize, she should have given to herself because she was the one who stood up and said, "I'll do it" and convinced others to, as well. Finally, Miss Skeeter: Young and naive. Eventually though, she stopped being a toy for Miss Holbrook and started thinking for herself. She started the writing for one reason but as she went along, learned a great deal about her life and the life of those around her. She grew stronger with each passing month even as she lost all of her friends and her boyfriend. While those who were "The Help" had much more to lose, Skeeter was also brave. As she grew, so did my respect for her. This book is about brave women who stood up against those who said such nasty things as, "you can get many diseases" from a black person. Who had their tongues cut out for speaking out. Who were mistreated in so many ways. Who were not looked upon as humans but rather as disposable. They were scared but they did it anyway. I tried to put myself in the shoes of those maids. Empathize with what it would be like to have someone view me that way in everything I did. I think we've all had a small, very small taste of what these women went through on a daily and constant basis. There is no way for us to ever fully understand it though. And this is where I found the deep respect for them. It actually affected me in my own life. I found myself standing up for myself more at work. I also found myself brushing off things that I used to think were a big deal but now realize, I've had it really easy all this time. I just can't say enough about this book or this author. I am truly impressed with the author and I found her "In Her Own Words", at the back of the book to be equally interesting. It takes books as well written as this to get me to write a review. I want to sing this book's praises from the mountaintops. I don't typically do reviews because I feel I'm not very good at them but mostly because I'm just not moved enough to actually write something other than, "it was good" or "it was not good". I tend to stick to reviewing that which I truly enjoyed but even then it's going to be rare that I give 5 stars. I give this book 5 stars. I would give it more if that option were available. And I will definitely buy books from this author again just as soon as they start getting published. The only downside to this: After reading something so engaging, so wonderfully written, feeling all the emotions I felt, really caring about the characters, it's going to be a tough act to follow. The next book I read is going to have to be good in its own right or it won't stand a chance.

I have had this book on my radar for quite some time, it was always there, just on the periphery waiting to be read. Then I stumbled across the trailer for the soon to be movie and decided I had to read it before the movie dropped in theatres. I am so glad that I did- I can truly say that this book is a new American classic. It explores a time in history that is not talked about often, glossed over in classrooms (if ever talked about at all), and still deeply painful for entire generations of people, both black and white alike. While the book is a fictionalized account of life in Jackson, Mississippi during the tumultuous years of the 60's, I suspect that a greater amount of the book is grounded in truth and fact. I am sure that there are several chunks of it that are glossed over and made gentler by the passing of time. While I have no experience growing up during that time frame, and have no experience being black or in the racial minority- it is a story that will resonate with all people for its themes of acceptance, bigotry, hatred, misguided self-importance, and social pressures to conform when dissent could be disastrous. It is a timely message that applies not only to racial relations and civil rights, but also to recent tensions with Muslims, immigrants, and any other "class" of people. It's something to think about as we examine what separates us and what pressures are present in societal norms. The book itself is an easy read that is told from the point of view of two main characters for the most part. Skeeter is a white woman who has recently returned from college, getting a degree when her social circle is more concerned with status and husbands. She is plain, earnest, and possessed with a self-assured sense of direction when it is improper for a woman to do so. She wants to interview the maids in Jackson and tell a story from their point of view. It's a dangerous position, even for a white woman. Racial tensions are high and fraternizing with the "colored" folks is looked down upon, even as many families rely on them to raise their children and run their households. Abiline is a maid for a white family in town, she has worries and pressures of her own, a family, church, and friends as well. She is honest, caring, deeply spiritual, and humble in her presentation. She is educated and wise beyond her years, having been steeped in the darkest of human nature and class separation, but also preciously close to what peace could mean. She is warm and gentle, but possessed of a deeply moral spirit that surprises even her. The writing flows easily and the story unfolds layer after layer, doling out equal parts humor and heartbreak at a pace that keeps the pages turning and leaves you feeling oddly satisfied and sad when it is over. Several comments are made at the way the maids are portrayed at having a thick dialect and the white family members do not. I don't see this as racial or degrading in any way, but more as a way for the author to differentiate narrators and viewpoints by taking the reader out of the familiar and sterilized language of the white families and helping them shift focus to the maids and their separate, but just as deeply rich, culture. I love this book. I wish everyone would read it and then read it again. I know it is one of my favorites will live on my bookshelf near some of the most powerful books ever written, it is truly our modern classic that deserves to be remembered with some of the best books ever written. Stockett has crafted a wonderfully lyric tale of both heartbreak and hope. What an amazing read.

This is such a wonderful story, I haven’t finished it yet but it is one of those books you really don’t want to end. I am loving the characters, Minnie in particular has made me laugh out loud more than a few times! The story also has a lot of depth, one of those that stays in your heart.

Para quem gostou de ler To Kill a Mockingbird, the Help é mais uma excelente adição à biblioteca. É muito bem escrito, as personagens são muito cativantes, o contexto é muito bem colocado. Além disso, é muito legal ver as duas variações do inglês em uso de acordo com a fala de cada personagem.

I was familiar with the film, but... this book was so good! I could not put it down! I don't think I've ever read a book this fast. The way it's written, it feels like you're listening to the characters themselves telling their story, like you're really sitting at the kitchen table with them.

I cannot say how much I loved every second of this beautiful book - the characters, the storyline, the flow, the ebbs. It sucked me in, and now that I've finished it I feel both happy and at a loss for it. Can't recommend highly enough.

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