The Help by Kathryn Stockett

July 07, 2010

What a wonderfully written book!

This is Kathryn Stockett’s first book and she did an exceptional job developing the plot and characters. This story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the year 1962 and follows the lives of three different women.

The first is Skeeter, a 22 year old college graduate that returns from college to find that her childhood maid, Constantine, is gone and no one will tell her where she went. Skeeter is an aspiring writer who begins to question her friendships and the way maids are treated in their households. The second lady is a black maid that helps raise her employer’s daughter and tries to instill in the child that we’re all created equal no matter the color of our skin. The third woman is a short and sassy maid that always says what’s on her mind, even when it’s to her white employer.

These three women’s lives intertwine as they work together on something that will hopefully change how Mississippi, and the United States, views one another.

Stockett does a wonderful job and I would highly recommend this book to anyone.  It’s a very engaging book in that I wanted to read on to see how these women’s lives, jobs, and reputations were affected for taking a stand on what they believed.

The Help is a classic story of a time in our history that we should all be aware of.           

Erin J.