Book 1 Response

[Chelsea]

I am currently reading the book "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I am not finished with this book yet, but what I can tell it's a great book. It's about how Skeeter comes back home from college to find her favorite maid gone. Skeeter's mother wants her to find a husband, but all she wants is to write. Aibileen is a black maid who takes care of many families, but had recently been taking care of this one family. Minny is Aibileen's best friend who is the sassiest of them all. Her big mouth gets her into trouble with every job she has had. She finally finds a job, but her bosses have their own secrets. These three women come together to write this book that reveals the many secrets about the people of their towns and of themselves. I enjoy reading this book. I'm almost done with it, but I wish it will never end.

I relate to Skeeter the most. One connection I have with her is that I don't meet the expectations that people have of me. Skeeter's mother wants her to get married because most of her friends are married. Skeeter wants to do what she loves, but is being restricted because of what she "has" to do. I relate to that because I don't do what others want me to. My father wants me to go to college for soccer and play professionally, but that's not what I want. I don't want to upset him, but I want to do what makes me happy. I want to be successful and I feel playing soccer professionally won't get me where I want to be. Both Skeeter and I want to do what we want, but have others telling us what we need to do. In the end we both will do what we really desire.

I also relate to her because we can't take bad news from people easily. Throughout the story, her mother keeps from her what really happened to her maid Constantine because she wants to help her. I don't take bad news well, so my parents and friends keep things from me to help me. Both Skeeter and I want to know things, but the people around us think it's for the better that we don't know.

I can easily relate to this book. As an African American child, I can see how I would have been treated back then. I greatly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the segregation in the 1960s.

Stockett, Kathryn. The Help. New York: Amy Einhorn, 2009. Print.

[Sue]

Chelsea . . . now you have me curious! What do YOU want to do with your life?
Also, when I read your comments about your family keeping information from you, it made me think of my father. He has passed away now, but for years many in the family would not tell him things, thinking this was for his benefit. Interesting that I always disagreed with the rest of the family.
I enjoyed reading your comments! I loved reading The Help and rated it 5 stars, which I rarely do!