The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was our book club selection for January and was definitely one of the best books we’ve picked since we’ve started. It’s really a story about writing a story; about the guilt southern whites have for exploiting the black people who made their lives so much simpler. Specifically, this is the story of Skeeter Phelan, an Ole Miss graduate who moves back in with her parents. She and her friends spend their days playing bridge, and joining the Junior League. When one of her friends, Hilly, makes a huge to-do over the ‘help’ using the same toilets as their employers, Skeeter is suddenly struck by the unfairness of life for a black person in Mississippi in 1962. She decides to write a book, with the help of the maids of Jackson, Mississippi, talking about their experiences. But these are dangerous times for anyone to challenge the status quo, black or white, and while Skeeter is able to get one maid to help out, Aibileen, she is at first unable to convince any others to tell their tales. It finally takes the death of some high profile civil rights figures to get the rest of the maids to agree. While some of the tales are disheartening, some are also uplifting, and Skeeter ends up knowing so much about the people who make up her community. This book tackles some heavy topics but doesn’t leave you feeling down. It’s also a definite page turner and I have a feeling if you pick it up, you’ll have a hard time putting it down.