The Help
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On a scale from 1-10
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Renee
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Sep 14, 2011 03:30PM
On a scale from 1-10 what do you rate the help, 10 being the best/highest
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the story alone on a scale of 1-10, probably a 5...but i listened to the audiobook and that brought the characters alive for me - so probably an 8-9 factoring that in
i would give this book a 10!!! it is sooo genius in a way that pulls you into the book so u can't put it down!!!
I would rate it a 8, really loved it.
10/10 It is one of my favourite books of all time.
I agree with Brenda, a 3, and for the same reason. Well said.
I agree with Brenda. I was in MS in 1989 and racism is alive and well. My cousin pointed out various things and certain lines are not crossed. I enjoyed the book and it is well written but it is not over and done as of yet. Those maids still need issues to be resolved as well as other labor jobs in the south. God bless em all. I rate it a 3 as well.
A 10 - I listened to the audiobook and walked a whole lot more than normal because I couldn't wait to hear the next chapter!
Renee wrote: "On a scale from 1-10 what do you rate the help, 10 being the best/highest"solid 7 a real page turner
It's a 10 in my book. It did do its job. It told a great story. It entertained. It opened eyes. Even so, if anyone outside the book's cover does not know that race relations are not yet where they should be, perhaps toothpicks might help the endurance of the opening of their eyes.Lots of people seem to hold a grudge because they think the story should have been written by an African-American. That is racism in reverse. In my opinion, rating this book at three suggests baggage and agenda. Similar baggage and agenda might stand in the way of a black author arriving at such a popular story. There was a book authored by an African-American that was suggested as an alternative by Oprah. Even with Winfrey’s blessing, that book did not garner an audience as large or as enthusiastic as that for The Help. That black author’s story needs to be told. It offers a different slant. Stockett reached more people and will open more hearts.
I lived in the South of that time. There is a great black woman who has occupied my heart since my infancy to this day. I’m glad Stockett told a story that made people see what African-Americans endured; made them know the fear black Jacksonians experienced in the wake of Medgar Evers murder; helped them understand the worth of every individual; and drilled home the knowledge that friendship, love, and respect can exist between the races.
There once was an open wound, now there is a scab, there will always be a scar, but stories like The Help are healers.
Mr. Dick,
So if someone doesn't agree with your assessment they have baggage and agenda (and are potentially reverse racists)? That is very harsh and uncalled for. We were engaging in critical thinking, not emotional reaction.
As to your scab analogy, I am curious as to how it helped heal the wound. It seemed to just pick the scab. Granted the book did show some respectful relationships between races, and the fear that was felt in the south, but how did this heal anything for the reader?
So if someone doesn't agree with your assessment they have baggage and agenda (and are potentially reverse racists)? That is very harsh and uncalled for. We were engaging in critical thinking, not emotional reaction.
As to your scab analogy, I am curious as to how it helped heal the wound. It seemed to just pick the scab. Granted the book did show some respectful relationships between races, and the fear that was felt in the south, but how did this heal anything for the reader?
When an author creates a work of fiction, why can't it be judged simply as a work of fiction? Why does it have to become an all-encompassing history lesson and resolver of social evils? The expectation that a work like The Help should include all aspects of racial issues then and now is, to me, an agenda. When an author writes a book, people get to judge it. When people write down their judgments, they subject their thoughts to judgment, as well. I think your three rating subjects the author to a standard beyond creating a good work of fiction. Yet, I would fight to the death to defend your right to have and express that opinion. As I said, we all know race in America is better than it was and has far to go.My comment about the reverse racism had nothing to do with any statements in the thread, but I do believe it is selfish and arrogant of people to wait until someone like Stockett writes a book like The Help and then question her right or capability to offer such a work. If an African-American author wants to write a better novel, capture even more public enthusiasm, and provide vision from another angle, I am SO on their side.
If you skin your knee and put Neosporin on the wound, the injury does not miraculously heal itself. Yet, it would be accurate to call the Neosporin a healer in that it creates a circumstance in which healing can occur. If thousands of people have their minds and hearts opened, even just a little bit, by The Help in either book or movie form, the inadequacies of our racial relations will not immediately right themselves. Yet, the widespread alteration of thoughts and feelings that results must be considered a healer. A book containing the nasty details of race relations then and now in an all-inclusive and rigidly accurate fashion doesn’t have nearly the chance of moving us closer to healing, and the reason is that it won’t attain enough popularity necessary to move the needle very far.
Renee wrote: "On a scale from 1-10 what do you rate the help, 10 being the best/highest"A 9 1/2 toward the end it became predictable.
I suppose that I am a glass-half-full guy or that I at least realize that the part of the glass that is empty is rich with oxygen. Looking to the future, the writer in me has wondered where Kathryn Stockett the novelist goes from here. Were I her, my first inclination would be to follow by remaining in the South but with a totally different story with a completely new cast for my second effort. After that, though, I’d be tempted to revisit Skeeter and Aibileen. A scenario crossed my mind as I spontaneously stood and applauded the movie with the rest of the patrons on opening night. Stemming from Aibileen’s mention of never imagining that she might be the writer in the family, I thought how delightful a sequel would be that saw both Skeeter and Aibileen finding literary favor in New York. Of course, in order to be fully satisfying, such a continuation of the story would have to be interspersed with appearances by Minny, Celia, and Hillie, who would remain in full shock and consternation.A lot of folks would probably believe that is not possible for Aibileen. I suppose those people must think that Oprah Winfrey is an illusion.
It is one of my favorite books. I would give it a 9. If there had been a little more action at the beginning it would have got a 10.
I enjoyed the book immensely. The emotional highs and lows, the fear were amazing. My husband spent 2 years in the South a few years ago and found that some things had not changed from the timeline in the novel, and when he took me to the movie he said that the visual was very similar to what he had seen while there. While the topic was a serious one, I do feel that some people have taken it a touch too seriously. Books are for us to enjoy and to make us think.I enjoyed both the movie and the novel as a fictional portrayal of a historical (and in some ways current) occurrence. I would LOVE a sequel, but I'm not sure it would live up to the possibilities I've imagined.
I read this book for a book club and while discussing the book we constantly found stories in our own lives that we could identify as a "Hilly moment" or a "Minnie moment"- it kept coming back to how grey we all are and how a book gets to make people so black and white (no pun intended, but I thought it was fun).
I give The Help a 9- beautifully done!
Dick wrote: "It's a 10 in my book. It did do its job. It told a great story. It entertained. It opened eyes. Even so, if anyone outside the book's cover does not know that race relations are not yet where ..."I think you bring up an interesting point. Can we accept a book on a perspective that is not of the author's own? Can we accept a book from a white women on the back perspective, could we accept a book on the female experience from a man and so on and so on?
Certainly most books are written by authors who are not exactly like their character. J.K Rowling is certainly not a teenage boy wizard. However we do like our authors to be our characters and often will give the book more credit if they are. It is an interesting predicament for an author.
Gretchen wrote: "Dick wrote: "It's a 10 in my book. It did do its job. It told a great story. It entertained. It opened eyes. Even so, if anyone outside the book's cover does not know that race relations are n..."Nice expansion of the thought, Gretchen.
this was a great book. I rate it a 10. I have many family mebers who went thru this ( the story line). whats true is true, whats in the past is in the past. I saw the movie twice and loved it both times. The subject matter may be hard on some, but the movie overall as a movie was excellent
Barbara wrote: "this was a great book. I rate it a 10. I have many family mebers who went thru this ( the story line). whats true is true, whats in the past is in the past. I saw the movie twice and loved it bot..."Well said. I was going to recommend Eric Jerome Dickey to you, but I see you already know him. I sampled his work and that of Brandon Massey when I was pitching my book to the lady who at that time was literary agent to both of them. My sampling and comments from a work colleague tell me that Dickey is very steamy. Here's wishing you continued happy reading.
Dick,Yes I read all of Eric Jerome Dickey's work. Love his writing
Five out of 10 for me. I have mixed feelings on this book. I have to agree with some of the commentary above: At times I felt that the tone and level of writing (the quality of the work) did not do justice to the gravity of the subject matter. In fact, I actually felt uncomfortable at times in the novel (ie. when the white woman turns out to be the central character--shocker--and becomes the heart of the narrative; some of the shallow/stereotypical characters). On top of that and bam! the movie comes out inside a year. Seems rather exploitative. If the subject were different I'd characterize it as a beach read, but clearly the subject is too important to be called "beach reading." Guess that's where the mixed feelings come from.BUT, I do love the theme--a focus on the feminine struggle of the era. A focus on the black struggle. I do love that this book (and, begrudgingly, the movie) bring this issue to a broad audience. In that light you could argue that the accessible level of the book in itself is a success.
I give it a 8 out of 10 for the book and a 10 out of 10 for the audio book.
Dick wrote: "It's a 10 in my book. It did do its job. It told a great story. It entertained. It opened eyes. Even so, if anyone outside the book's cover does not know that race relations are not yet where ..."well said...As a white Canadian who often travels through the South, it opened my eyes to the scars which I knew were there on some level, but Help brought them to life for me. The book is a 10.
I was raised in New Mexico, "the Land of Enchantment." Along with that, I feel that we are blessed in having all the cultures in our area, not just B & W. I never even knew what prejudice was until I was into my late 20's and took a business trip to Arkansas. That was the first time I "Felt" it. This book shows it, allows it, and is in my top 10 favorites at the moment. I loved it. It tells a terrific story for those of us not raised or lived in the South.
i would give, i enjoyed reading it very much.
I would give the book an 8. I am from the south and know that things are not perfect however, they have changed dramatically since the time the book was set. Again it was fiction however, I know for certain there was a lot of fact about the times (I lived it though not in MS) I loved the story, found it entertaining and enlightening to those that may not have lived during that time. I read the book several years ago and recently saw the movie which I also liked v much.
I would rate an 8. It's a rare gem, with well developed characters. Especially for the author's first book.
I'm positive that it's a 10, I thought it was such an entertaining book!
Definitely an eight. I loved it, and really enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I can't give it a ten because I didn't walk away from it saying, "That was the best thing I've ever read." It was a great book, though.
I would rate this book a five. Like some said, I would definitely agree that it seems a bit like a beach read, but the subject matter is too serious. The subject matter it does contain, however, seems to have captured a large and appreciative audience.My argument against the novel stems from the ending. As I read, I found the book to keep my attention, but certainly not so much that I couldn't eat or sleep, as with some books I read. However, I felt that the end completely flopped, and for me, endings make or break the novel. The conclusion left me feeling like nothing had been resolved. Suddenly, the author just.. stopped writing. Even if nothing was changed, I expect a tie-back to the beginning--perhaps a quote from one of the characters stated in both the end and the beginning. Something that ties the book all together in a neat bundle, even if the ending isn't neat. Elementary school children learn that their paper will have an introduction, three points, and a conclusion, and that the intro and conclusion will say nearly the same thing, but worded differently. I believe that authors should follow some of the same principles.
Abby wrote: "I would rate this book a five. Like some said, I would definitely agree that it seems a bit like a beach read, but the subject matter is too serious. The subject matter it does contain, however, s..."It is a bit of a "beach read", and the ending doesn't wrap up neatly into a little bundle, but I think that's part of what makes this book good. Although far from real life, The Help tries to be realistic, and reality never wraps up neatly. The story that needed to be told had been told, and life for the characters went on, just how it does in real life. I think that the fact that it didn't have a clean ending made the book more real and emotionally powerful.
Renee wrote: "On a scale from 1-10 what do you rate the help, 10 being the best/highest"
I'd give it a 6 ,maybe a 7 . Good story,and wonderful idea . I guess maybe if the author could have in some way made you feel closer to the characters it would have been even better. It kinda felt like you were watching the story from outside the house,instead of inside with them .
I'd give it a 6 ,maybe a 7 . Good story,and wonderful idea . I guess maybe if the author could have in some way made you feel closer to the characters it would have been even better. It kinda felt like you were watching the story from outside the house,instead of inside with them .
I'd give this book a 10. Pat on the back for first novel written!I loved the characters and soon was drawn into each persons thoughts and actions. I got to the end of one characters chapter and wanted to skip right to the next one of the same person but forced myself to keep reading thru page by page and then was into the next character just as eagerly.
The beauty of books, we can pick and choose to our individual liking and write an opinion!! Gotta love that!!
I THOUGHT THIS WAS A WELL WRITTEN BOOK, THE CHARACTERS WERE WELL DESCRIBED AND INTRODUCED IN THE BOOK, IN A WAY THAT MADE YOU REALLY GET TO KNOW THEM AND THEIR PERSONALITITES - IT BROUGHT TO EVERYONE'S MEMORY OF THOSE HORRIBLE DAYS IN OUR COUNTRY, BUT IT WAS DONE IN A VERY DELICATE MANNER - AND SO PERTINENT IN TODAYS WORLD TO REMIND US, WHEN PEOPLE ARE UNITED IN THEIR BELIEFS HOW MUCH CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED - ALSO THE HUMOR THAT WAS INTRODUCED IN THIS BOOK, MADE IT MORE DELIGHTFUL
Jeannette wrote: "I THOUGHT THIS WAS A WELL WRITTEN BOOK, THE CHARACTERS WERE WELL DESCRIBED AND INTRODUCED IN THE BOOK, IN A WAY THAT MADE YOU REALLY GET TO KNOW THEM AND THEIR PERSONALITITES - IT BROUGHT TO EVERYO..." I really like your comment. We have similar value systems and to "remember" where we came from, and to remember what our forefathers did to make our country what it is. I recently read a book called "Amazing Grace" about William Wilberforce, who helped to eliminate abolition/slavery in England. Fantastic story, and I really appreciate what these strong people have done. I've also read some books by Jennifer Chiaverini about the Underground Railroad and how they tie into quilting as a communication tool and keeping people safe trying to escape from their slave owners. We have a tremendous history and people wanting there to be success. When we went through the Civil War, slavery was such a huge issue, and not being there then, did it really take a war to get it under some control. I've wondered many times.
Dick wrote: "When an author creates a work of fiction, why can't it be judged simply as a work of fiction? Why does it have to become an all-encompassing history lesson and resolver of social evils? The expect..."Dick wrote: "It's a 10 in my book. It did do its job. It told a great story. It entertained. It opened eyes. Even so, if anyone outside the book's cover does not know that race relations are not yet where ..."
(view spoiler)
I rate it a 10. Loved this book.
I rate it a 7. I thought the book was well written, and heartfelt. I felt that it lacked something. I can't put my finger on it.
definitely a 10! it was such a treat to read this book!
I definitely give it a 10. I couldn't put it down and got very wrapped up and envolved in it! Great book.
I rate it a 10. I absolutely loved it and didn't want it to end. A must read!
I rate it a 10. I could hardly believe this book could grasp me as much as thriller novels that I mostly read. I simply couldn't let it down. The characters were so lively they practically jump out of the pages. I know there's a movie. But just by watching the trailers and see the actual live actress playing the roles was already disappointing. In my opinion the actress who plays Ms. Skeeter should be Mia Wasikowska, or young Gewnyth Petrow. The person who should play Minne should be Gabourey Sidibe (in Precious)
i give it a 1000. or wait, maybe infinity!!! haha jk about a 9. i didnt really like the way it ended....
Abby wrote: "I would rate this book a five. Like some said, I would definitely agree that it seems a bit like a beach read, but the subject matter is too serious. The subject matter it does contain, however, s..."Danya wrote: "Abby wrote: "I would rate this book a five. Like some said, I would definitely agree that it seems a bit like a beach read, but the subject matter is too serious. The subject matter it does contai..."
"Spoilers"
I think there is an ending, simply is "You is kind. You is smart. You is important." Self-identity, worthiness are what one needs to venture into the unknown future. The main characters finally realized that was also what she need, thus, finally free.
I would give it an 8, the writing itself was normal but the maids and the fact that there was no "happy ending" bring it up to a higher level. Yes it's a well worked over topic but I thought there was a freshness to it that brought new life to it without toning it down.
I'd agree that it was a 5. it kept my interest but not one of the books that I would forget what time it was or couldn't wait to get back to it.
I thought this was a good book but it kinda moved slower than I would have hoped with all the hype it brought from others.I would rate this book a 6 or 7. I am very interested in reading more of this author. I do like how she incorporated her past in the book and made it feel real. I wouldn't down this book and I would recommend it to others.
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