The Help

A short while ago I was informed that I must absolutely positively read The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, as the book was being placed on my desk.  After a few weeks I decided to give the daunting book a try (it’s 464 pages in hardcover) and I could not be more pleased that I did!  To summarize quickly, this book takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 – during the heart of the civil rights movement.  It focuses around the stories of 3 extraordinary women who are determined to start a movement of their own that forever changes a town.

 

I was delighted to find that Stockett (who is from Jackson, MS herself) uses pitch-perfect voices throughout the novel, providing you with a real sense of good ol’ southerness.  It makes you feel like you are living in the moment with the characters – a spectacular quality in an author. 

One of the main characters is a 23-yr-old recent graduate of Ole Miss.  Skeeter is a headstrong female who wants to do something great with her life and yet has to fight through the societal notion that someone her age should only focus on settling down with a man and becoming a house wife.  I feel a kinship towards her as I can relate to the parallel in today’s world.  She makes you feel in the end of the book like you can in fact conquer the world with your education and a whole lot of courage.  I can only dream that one day I can make as much of a difference as she did (I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what she does)!

 

As many of you probably know, a movie based on this book was just released.  I often have mixed feelings about books turned into movies…as usual, the book was better.  However, in this case I found that the movie did do the book some justice.  The movie starts off in the middle of the book (therefore you lose a lot of the fantastic character development Stockett relays for us) but the very important parts are all present.  The movie really gives you that feeling of southern injustice and the chill that goes up your spine when the reality of the situation hits you.  It instills in you the immense bravery the 3 main characters must have had during that time period.  It also makes you struggle over that fine line between right and wrong.   

 

After you throw that popcorn and drink in the trash and walk out of the theater…it’s a movie that will still have you thinking and wanting a little bit more.