The Help - Kathryn Stockett
The Help is a book set in the 1960's and is told from three different perspectives: a white woman Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan and two black maids Aibileen and Minny. It is set in Jackson, Mississippi during the time when the Civil Rights Movement was starting to take off and I really appreciated the real life references to history; mentioned is JFK assassination and MLK Jr. march plus more. Skeeter is a recent graduate out of Ole Miss and wants to be a writer, Aibileen is a black maid who has raised white babies for most of her life, and Minny is a short, dark, sass-talking maid who is the best cook in Mississippi. These three very different women will risk everything to try and make a difference in a time where racism and segregation is the norm.
I was nervous about reading this book since I am a young African American woman and I heard it was written by a white woman. I wasn't sure if it would be good or feel authentic with her writing from a black person's perspective. In no hurry to get this book, I put the audio book on hold at the library and waited. After I finished listening to it, I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed the book. It was very well-written and I felt like I was transported to this time period. This is the first audio book that have listened to all the way through and it was very well done; the actors made the characters come to life. I don't know if I would have gotten the same feeling from this book had I read it like I do all of the other books. I loved how the author captures the emotions of all three women. There were times when I laughed out loud and time where I wanted to cry and be angry. I feel like I know each of the women personally and in the end I was crossing my fingers for a happy ending. I was surprised how much I related to some of the characters now because I think that racism is still an issue it's just a lot more subtle than it used to be. I think this is a great book for anyone to read no matter what race you identify with. I highly recommend this book even if fiction is not your genre.
5 out of 5 STARS
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