Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
For those who have never heard of this book, The Help is the story of three women in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. One woman is a maid who has recently lost her son and has been forever changed by her grief. One is a privileged white woman fresh from college who wants to be a journalist but has no idea how to accomplish the goal when the expectations are not for her to get a job, but to find a husband and get married. The last is another maid who is notorious for her amazing cooking and a big mouth that is constantly getting her into trouble. Each woman has her own unique story and her own struggles, and The Help is about how the three of them come together to tell their stories in a time when they could easily be beaten or killed for even associating with each other, let alone what they plan to do.
I really, really enjoyed this book. The stories of each of the women were so well done and touching on so many levels. It really makes you think hard about what it was like to live during that time. Either as an African American or as a woman whether they be white or black. It makes you realized how we take so many things for granted when only a generation ago things were so very different.
I would have to loved to see something horrible happen to the main antagonist, Hilly, like getting hit by a car or being run over by a tractor in her friend’s cotton fields. She was just a horrible bully to everyone including her friends. Other than the fact that she got to live on to torture everyone around her, I really liked the way that the book ended. Not to give anything away, but it could have ended in a much different way and I’m not sure if I could have taken that. I spent have the book with my heart pounding as it was, waiting for one of the main characters to get caught and severely punished. *sigh of relief*
If you haven’t picked up a copy already, give it a try or recommend it to a friend. It’s a great read for the fast approaching summer!
Posted by Kristin Hanley at 03:02 PM. Filed under:
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