The Help by Kathryn Stockett

 The Help by Kathryn Stockett-451 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. 

Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...

Thoughts: I've seen the movie, but I hadn't read the book. This is our next book for the Book to Movie Club. It is really good and it makes one think critically about the perspective of others. For a long time after the Civil War and Reconstruction Era (circa 1861-1876), blacks were not seen as equals to whites. This is illustrated by the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1897 which established the separate but equal doctrine (and the "one drop" rule) that perpetuated until the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 and beyond in some areas (such as Mississippi, which is the setting for this book). Can you imagine being told where you can go or where you can sit on the bus? Can you imagine caring for another person's child and becoming close with that child and then moving on and not getting any gratitude? Can you imagine fearing you or someone you love might be hurt or killed for speaking out? Such is the world that Aibilieen, Minny, and the other maids live in and deal with every day. The book and the movie are both good.