The Help

Somehow, I missed out on The Help, which was first published in 2009. I saw it on the shelves of bookstores, read reviews and even thought about reading it. It was just one of those books that just kept getting pushed further and further down my list. At my last book club meeting we talked about it very briefly. Most of those well read ladies of discerning taste in books had already read it and they gave it a unanimous recommendation. If I'm looking for a book recommendation, these gals are my go-tos. I quickly borrowed stole a copy from my school library the next time I stopped by the building. (Another perk of teaching: Summer is prime time to sneak into the library and just take books. No pesky kids have them checked out. There is no due date. Awesome!)

A due date wouldn't have mattered; I couldn't put it down.

(Image from Amazon)

The characters were rich and lovable. (Some detestable, actually, but in a very intentional way!) I fretted for the safety of the maids and Skeeter. I wanted to hurt some of those lazy, mean white women. I got choked up when Medgar Evers was shot in his yard. In my humble opinion, this novel is right up there with To Kill A Mockingbird. And that's pretty high up there, btw.

Generally speaking, I'm very proud to be an American. I know I am lucky to have a very nice life here. With that said, there are many periods of our history that make me cringe. Stockett did an absolutely lovely job balancing the ugliness of the South in the 60's with the beautiful humanity and compassion of those who were strong enough to stand up for what is right.

I really enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

The movie is out in theatres and this might even be the first movie I see in almost a year. Because Stockett created such strong characters, I don't even think Hollywood can screw this one up!

Go steal a copy from your library. No, wait, I don't condone theft. Unless you're lucky like me and have amazing librarians as friends, do the actual check out-y thing. Happy reading!