Finally Read "The Help"

After hearing everyone rave about "The Help" - and being on a waiting list at the library for it for several weeks and never moving higher than # 315 on the list - I bought myself a copy at Sam's last week.

You would not think this was a debut novel by Kathryn Stockett. It's tone and flow are wonderfully written. She easily transports the reader to the early/mid-1960's. As you read you can smell the food cooking, easily visualize the characters, and feel the emotions they encounter throughout.

This was an emotional book. I found myself happy, anxious, sick-to-my stomach, and joyous as the main characters narrated their way through their journey.

I had originally bought the book thinking it was about a bunch of Junior League ladies taking credit for all the hard work and good deeds that the League did in their town, when in fact it was done by their maids. The book is much more, it's very telling of what it was like to live in a very racially segregated town in the south during the civil rights movement. While fictional, the book references many actual events that happened in Mississippi during that timeframe.

It follows three amazing women (two african-american, one white) as they begin to work together to write a book. Their book highlights the relationships (both good and bad) between maids and their employers.

I definitely think it's a must read, not only for the entertainment value but for the perspective it gives. I don't know if it will be made into a movie or not, but I'm hoping it does. I would love to see these characters come to life.