The Help
Kathryn Stockett
464 Pages
Kateri Bean
After every librarian and Mrs. Diamond told me over and over to read The Help, I finally did. It looked giant and not super exciting, so I wasn't too sure I'd like it has much as they said I would. But, I did. In fact as soon as I started I couldn't stop reading it.
It dealt with a side of the civil rights movement I had never thought of before. I didn't realize just how horrible the lives of African American maids were. While these women were free and not slaves, they still were treated very much like an animal in the households where they worked. That being said, there were a few houses where the maid was treated as part of the family; these maids were the lucky ones. This book is a real eye-opener to not only how maids were treated, but how they went about their lives.
The way the book was written, you got the point of view from three very different characters. This made the book go very quickly and also made it next to impossible to put down. Another reason the book was so engaging is the way it was written: the characters all have unique voices with accents, and the way it's written you can really hear the their voices in your head. You'll come away from this book talking in a deep southern accent if you aren't careful!
As I mentioned, this book is told by three different characters. Each of them has their own struggles, but together they unite against their shared struggle: racism. The three of them, along with a few followers, manage to change not only their town's point of view, but their state's.
If you are interested in the civil right's movement, American history, or just a heartwarming story, I suggest you read The Help!
I KNEW you'd love this book! Now I'll keep campaigning to the others in the class. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Kateri. This was one of my favorite reads since The Glass Castle. Yes, I love this book THAT much!
I have never even thought about African American maids were treated. This must have been a very powerful and moving book. It is crazy how a few people can make such a difference on a states point of view. The title of the book sounds familiar..isn't this a new movie?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this way a great summary of the book!
wow this sounds like a real eye opener!!! it is important for these things to be known about our history in order to show mans mistakes. about what year was this in?
ReplyDeleteSarah, yeah I hadn't either! You always hear about slaves, it's a whole different game when people are getting paid for their work and still not getting treated properly! Dave, I totally agree! Reading this made me sick. How could people have been so blind?! It's really disturbing to see how African Americans were thought of and treated. I knew it was bad, but this made me realize just how bad it was. It's set right before MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.
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