The Help in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 26, 2016 SarahC rated it really liked it

This is a novel that is well-done of its own and also is one of those guideposts that points the way to writing honestly about life in society. The Help is important in understanding the time period of the story itself and to understanding what lies behind the writing of someone who writes from/of the South today. The novel concerns so many things, but certainly it focuses on partnerships. Developing dependable partnerships in life is one thing that allows us ongoing life of any quality. Stocket ...more

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Jan 20, 2019 Ra rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own

This is a book about an unusual friendship that develops between three women in Jackson Mississippi. Ms Skeeter (not her real name, but a nickname given to her by her brother because she was thin and tall, like a mosquito), Minny a big buxom maid unable to keep a job for long enough, and Aibileen a gentle middle-aged maid who is carrying the grief of losing her only son, as an adult, in a freak accident.

Miss Skeeter is a white woman, an aspiring journalist who still lives with her parents on a This is a book about an unusual friendship that develops between three women in Jackson Mississippi. Ms Skeeter (not her real name, but a nickname given to her by her brother because she was thin and tall, like a mosquito), Minny a big buxom maid unable to keep a job for long enough, and Aibileen a gentle middle-aged maid who is carrying the grief of losing her only son, as an adult, in a freak accident.

Miss Skeeter is a white woman, an aspiring journalist who still lives with her parents on a plantation. She has the usual array of mostly married girlfriends with whom she has regular bridge and social club gatherings. One of her friends Ms. Elizabeth Leefolt employs Aibileen as a maid and nanny to her child Mae Mobley. This is how the two first meet, passively at first, but then become better acquainted when Miss Skeeter, fills in the job of answering household advice questions in the local paper. Inexperienced as she is in housework she seeks Aibileen's advice on questions like how to remove stains and effectively clean bathtubs.

The civil rights movement was yet to reach Jackson in the 1960s, and it was surprising to me to read about the largely segregated society there, and the bigoted attitudes towards the coloured individuals and communities in their city. Miss Skeeter, like most of her contemporaries, was raised by a black nanny. Her beloved second mother, Constantine, disappeared from her life without explanation. She was still seeking the truth about that loss. Aibileen takes solace in raising Mae Mobley to forget the grief over her own son. Minny is trying to keep her job as the housekeeper and cook for helpless Celia Foote, who is new to town. Fortunately for Minny, Celia is also a social outcast, and does not have access to one of the town's leading characters, who was Minny's former employer, one especially bigoted woman, with a terrible attitude towards colored help.

The shared experiences of these three unusual friends goes on to create something substantial. Miss Skeeter is given a glimpse into the lives and experiences of the coloured help; how indispensable they are, yet how insignificant at the same time. They are entrusted with white people's kids, yet they cannot use the same toilet. Each of these women tries in her own way to work against the prevailing attitude and in the end perhaps their joint struggle amounts to something, a book about the coloured help experience that Skeeter dreams of writing.

This is an amazing story about friendship, humanism and the courage to make a difference, even if it was in a small way. I loved the characters, in their individual and collective journeys. Aibileen in her gentle sorrow and desire to teach her 17th child something meaningful about kindness to herself and others. Minny in her loudmouth rebellion that is so at odds with her struggle at home with her drunk husband and her many children. And Skeeter in her struggle for identity between independent working woman, and a young girl who longs for love.

The author is as native of Mississippi, so her writing is a perfect blend between realistic history and human story.
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May 09, 2012 Astrid Lim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: america, literature, historical-fiction, dramatic, race

One of the best books I've read this year. Moving and so real. It feels like I've known Aibeleen, Minny and Skeeter all my life. Love it so much! Now I guess I'm gonna watch the movie. Hope it's not disappointing! ...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Jackie Wayment rated it liked it

I read this book in two days and enjoyed it quite a bit. As much as I liked it, it did seem a bit shallow for the topic though. It left the impression that the author, much like her character Skeeter, really doesn't have much of a grasp on race relations. ...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Heather-Lea rated it really liked it

Loved it. Even the parts that were uncomfortable to read because it was historically accurate, I loved. I can't imagine trying to write something like it when there is no way to research the innermost thoughts and feelings of a time so controversial. Kathryn Stockett does a great job showing the love-hate relationship between people who are so seemingly different. One of my favorite lines is the revelation that Miss Skeeter has after talking with Miss Lou Ann next to the shampoos. (I don't want ...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Tiffany rated it really liked it

I thought this was a fantastic book! Makes you realize that the 60's weren't that long ago and hopefully people have learned something from those timee, but listening to the news it seems people never will. ...more

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