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The Help

Kathryn Stockett

Discussion: January/February 2010

Discussion leader: LynnB

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January/February 2010

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
By Lisa · 8 posts · 33 views

last updated Nov 04, 2012 07:27PM

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
By LynnB · 24 posts · 48 views

last updated Jul 07, 2011 06:00AM

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What Members Thought

Mar 24, 2009 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

This is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the year. It didn't take long for the book to grab me and once it did, it didn't let go. It ended up being one of those novels you want to read constantly yet also want to read as slowly as possible so that it doesn't end.

I'm not sure where to start because there is so much about this novel that I adored. First, the characters were amazing. So well written that I felt as if I now know them personally. They literally came alive for me. The detai This is without a doubt one of my favorite books of the year. It didn't take long for the book to grab me and once it did, it didn't let go. It ended up being one of those novels you want to read constantly yet also want to read as slowly as possible so that it doesn't end.

I'm not sure where to start because there is so much about this novel that I adored. First, the characters were amazing. So well written that I felt as if I now know them personally. They literally came alive for me. The details and richness that Kathryn Stockett gave them made them some of my all time favorite literary characters.

The time and place were wonderfully written, made real through the wonderful writing. I felt like the novel really made the civil rights movement and Jackson, Mississippi come alive. They were in many ways their own characters in this novel. The novels shows the full spectrum of relationships in that time, particularly as they were impacted by racism and sexism. There was hate, ignorance and ugliness swirling right in with the love and attachment of the time/situation.

The story felt so real to me and truly touched something deep inside me. It embarrassed me to read the blatant ignorance shown in the book and that same embarrassment made me think long and hard about the impact of race on relationships, today and in the 1960's.

I adored the writing style chosen by Kathryn Stockett. The realism of the language and the style she chose really made the book come alive and the characters jump off the page.

The novel is ultimately the story of a white woman writing true accounts of black maids which gives the reader picture of life in that place and time ... through their stories and their experiences. The depth of the stories told in this book is amazing. They may appear to be one thing on the surface but are often so much more in the end.

Although the novel is steeped in race and feminism, it is so much more. The storytelling is amazing in and of itself. It made me care about these women and their lives. And, most of all, it made me examine my own thoughts and feelings about racism and sexism. That was the true gift of the novel, in my opinion. As someone who grew up in the South and had grandparents and great-grandparents who spent their fundamental years steeped in the all too common ignorance and hatred of race relations of the 40s/50s/60s, I often had a difficult time understanding the things that I'd hear people around me say when it came to race. Intelligent people, people that I loved, spewing such hatred and ugliness for no reason other than the color of someone's skin. It just never made sense to me, given that I grew up in a different time, with different beliefs. The magic of this book was it helped me to understand that ignorance. Not to excuse it but maybe to understand where it came from and how it came to be. It gave me a different perspective on something that I'd struggled with when I was younger but never truly came to terms with as I grew up.

I loved this book and think it is an amazing book that really helped to capture my own feelings about race relations ... As one character in the novel stated "We are just two people. Not that much separates us." Instead of getting bogged down in the differences, why not celebrate the similarities AND the wonderful things that differences can bring into our lives.

That is what this book did for me and I hope that others enjoy it and get something out of it as I did ... ...more

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Apr 30, 2009 Paula rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 1favorites, fiction-historical, fiction, quick-reads, location-south, chick-lit

One of my favorite reads!I recommend it to others to read. T story is about the south in the early 1960s. Dealing with women, civil rights, and equal rights. Sharing stories that bring them together even when they don't know it. My favorite character is, by far, Minny. I was laughing out loud at one point, so much that I had tears coming down my cheeks. She's a hoot and right up my alley!!

Again, a wonderful read from a new author. I am looking forward to reading more from her. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 07, 2010 Sera rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this book, and I thought that Stockett did a fantastic job with making this period in time realistic, believable and heart-wretching. The premise of the book is that an aspiring white journalistic seeks to publish the stories of maids to families in Jackson, MS. The story centers around the writer and two of the maids, so the chapters switch among the various points of view while continuing to tell the overall story.

What's interesting to me is how illogical the view of many of the white I loved this book, and I thought that Stockett did a fantastic job with making this period in time realistic, believable and heart-wretching. The premise of the book is that an aspiring white journalistic seeks to publish the stories of maids to families in Jackson, MS. The story centers around the writer and two of the maids, so the chapters switch among the various points of view while continuing to tell the overall story.

What's interesting to me is how illogical the view of many of the white families were in regard to race. For example, does it really make sense to have a separate bathroom in one's house for the black maids, because one believed that they were disease-ridden, etc., but then also have these same women care for one's children? All I kept thinking was how it wasn't possible to logically take both positions and how the white women couldn't even see this.

I loved that this book isn't just about race relations either, it's also about class, where oftentimes race doesn't come into play. Poor Miss Celia, a white woman who marries up but can't seem to dress right, or cook, or clean or do anything really, but who desparately wants to fit into the community with the other women. She tries over and over again, but is ignored, except for one occasion, where her lack of sophistication clearly shows itself and embarrasses her and her husband in the process. Thankfully, he truly loves her, which is critical to how the story ends for her in the book.

I think that one theme of this book is about how people judge each other and want to be better than their neighbor, rather than just simply being a good neighbor. As indicated above, this judgement transcends race and gets into other areas where people attempt to differentiate themselves.

Another theme is how people often overlook servants as being people just like themselves. The employers talk about them as though they are not there or that they have any feelings. What's interesting is that this attitude prevails today - think about it - don't some people treat the cleaning crew at their office this way or at the resorts that they go to on vacation or at the hotels while traveling on business? These people have become invisible to most Americans and that is a sad commentary on us as humans.

I was on pins and needles throughout this book - so full of fear that these women would get caught and what would happen to them. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised that this book ended as well as things could for these people. Oftentimes, I find the endings of book to be disappointing, but the ending to this book was just right.

I would recommend this book to everyone to read. ...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-should-read-again-later, books-to-think-about

I was expecting The Help to be good - I wasn't expecting it to make me care about the characters. I almost cried (during a certain scene at Aibileen's church) while reading on the bus and it takes quite a bit to make me cry over a book.

I have to go think about this some more before writing anything for my blog. ...more

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Dec 15, 2009 Jaime rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2009

What a great book to wrap up 2009 with! It was a real page-turner for me. There was not one time that I had to put the book down that I really wanted to. I was very interested in the characters and what happened to them. I understand that Stockett was walking a fine line in giving voice to her African American characters. While I am not at all qualified to make a judgement as to how accurately she captured their voices, I can say that she really captured my interest in perhaps reading some non-f ...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: chcpl, clcpl

It has been a while since I read a book that I will now HAVE to bug all readers I know to get a copy of this book. I never wanted to put this book down or for it to end. Alas, it did. I couldn't help but wonder how I might have fit into this picture had I grown up in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s rather than in Ohio. We certainly have come a long way. Not that we are done. How unthinking we humans can be. I look forward to reading Ms. Stockett's sophomore effort. The publisher will nee ...more

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