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The Help

Kathryn Stockett

Start date: March 1, 2023

Finish date: March 31, 2023

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
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Monthly Group Reads

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last updated Feb 12, 2024 09:45AM

The Help (March 2023)
By Mariah Roze · 4 posts · 22 views

last updated Mar 06, 2023 09:46AM

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What Members Thought

Jan 01, 2014 Maya B rated it it was amazing

Shelves: stand-alone, historical, favorites, big-book

Loved it! I finally got around to reading this book and I am very glad I did. Even though I have watched the movie several times the book was so much better. the book filled in a lot of gaps that the movie did not show.

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Mar 06, 2012 Alana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: political, books-to-film, historical-fiction

I purposely avoided seeing references to the recently released film or doing any research into the background of the author before both reading this novel and writing the review, so if any of my observations have been widely discussed to death, I apologize. This portion is based purely on my own thoughts of the novel itself immediately after finishing it. My thoughts regarding the biases (or lack thereof) of the author I will place at the end.

WARNING: contains spoilers
This story is so beautifull I purposely avoided seeing references to the recently released film or doing any research into the background of the author before both reading this novel and writing the review, so if any of my observations have been widely discussed to death, I apologize. This portion is based purely on my own thoughts of the novel itself immediately after finishing it. My thoughts regarding the biases (or lack thereof) of the author I will place at the end.

WARNING: contains spoilers
This story is so beautifully developed, in such an innocent, frank manner that I was drawn in almost immediately. The characters are entirely believable, mostly because they are each flawed in their own unique and likely way. It addresses race and culture issues directly but poignantly touches on subjects that are not all "black and white," as it were, but issues of humanity itself. The inability to bear children, for example, goes across races and the pain of any woman or family is just as strong. The juxtaposition of the woman with an abundance of children because the only time her husband doesn't hit her is when she's pregnant against the woman who desperately wants a child to share with the husband who deeply loves her is done in such a touching manner that it doesn't come across as at all cliche but very touching. Then there is the woman who doesn't have a clue how to love her child against the maid that desperately needs a child to love after the loss of her own and then again the woman who loves her children deeply but is incapable of loving anyone else that is not like herself. The most telling moment is so subtle one could almost miss it; a black maid who is essentially a second-class citizen because of her color advises her white employer not to take medicines from witch doctors of another race because they apparently cannot be trusted and "we poison their food." Her prejudice while experiencing it against herself on a regular basis is very thought-provoking. Seeing the relationship between Abileen and Skeeter develop from an uneasy distance to concern to mutual understanding to friendship is beautiful even without the racial differences as they are women from different socio-economic backgrounds and an age gap, but all the more poignant because of the prominent racial tension. The subtle politics of a small town (whether it were southern or otherwise) are deeply entangled and often vicious. In short, the story is touching because it is so real. I believed these were real people, which to me is a mark of good writing.

This being said, I did wonder about the perspective of the novel, as the author is a white woman putting words and ideas in the mouths and heads of black women living in an era before her adulthood. All I know of Ms. Stockett is the paragraph biography on the last page and the small section devoted to her own household maid when she was growing up. Based on her own words, it is clearly an attempt to retrospectively right a wrong that she felt she had done by not speaking out in a more prominent way when she was younger. Whether she got ideas from women she talked to or she developed her characters purely from her own observations, memories and imagination, I could only speculate. Regardless of the source material and how much is based on fact or informative fiction, it is a heartfelt effort that deserves the praise it has been receiving. It has made me think about how I treat others and made me want to do research on the subject in general and perhaps that is the greatest achievement any book can have. Well done. ...more

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May 11, 2020 Heather rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

Oh wow this book was SO good. I knew it was going to be good - it is so highly rated and I have NO idea how I can even call myself a bookworm without having read it earlier. LOL. Luckily my book bestie offered to buddy-listen to it with me this month and that gave me the major push to just read the amazing book already.

I loved these strong female characters and their strength. I loved the funny bits. I loved that the story was about writing. The ending was ultimately quite hopeful.

The audioboo ...more

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