#23 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I had been referred to this book by MANY clients. I was always given the same kind of comment, too. "It is the type of book, that when it is done, you want to find out what is going on with the characters. They are your friends."
Well let me tell you...IT IS TRUE!! Ms Stockett is a truly gifted writer. You KNOW who the women are that are sharing their lives and stories with you. You know all of the amazing things that are going to happen to them in the future, too. The best part is you REALLY want to read about those things.
The Help is based in Jackson Mississippi in the early 1960's. It is where the segregation sit-ins were happening, where Medger Eavers was shot down in his own carport and where the KKK was feared almost as much as the polite women of society. This story is told by through 3 separate women's perspectives. Aibilene, colored "help" who is mourning the recent death of her own son and the only real support and love of the white girl she is raising.
Minny, colored "help" who has been fired a record 19 times for not being able to hold her tongue. She is the best cook in the county and an attitude to match the title.
Miss Skeeter is the privileged white woman who sees injustice in the relationships of the coloreds and her own friends. She grew up with a colored woman as her own help and loved her more than she could ever explain. When Constantine, her own help, disappears it brings up many many questions and emotions and starts a project that is both insightful and maybe even deathly dangerous.
This is an amazing story with memorable moments and truly beloved characters. It was easy to picture it in my mind as I was reading it and I am eager for the movie. I'm glad I purchased this book. I'll read it again.