Review of The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Hey, Readers!

As you probably know, a movie version of The Help (by Kathryn Stockett) came out in August. I found out about this book last year when my mom read it, and at first, I thought it was a book meant for adult readers. I changed my mind about two months ago, when my sister said that she had read it at camp. The Help is a really touching story of the relationships between white women and their black maids in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter Phelan, a 24-year-old white woman who wants to be a writer, has a big idea that could either put these black women in serious danger, or spark a big change in their racist society. Skeeter wants to interview black maids in Jackson and publish a book about their experiences working for white women. Aibileen and Minny, who are both maids, become involved in Skeeter's idea, and are very prominent characters in the story. For each chapter (or few chapters) in The Help, one of those three characters (Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny) is the narrator, and it switches back and forth as the story goes on. The reason I liked this book so much is probably these three female protagonists. They seem so much like real people, and as the reader, I felt connected to each of them. Though they are very different from one another, their friendship and support of one another allows each of them to have a voice.

Sorry that was kind of long!  All in all, even if you have already seen the movie, this is definitely a book worth reading.                                   

                                                          --Dorothy :)