The Help by Kathryn Stockett
In the heartwarming novel The Help, Kathryn Stockett portrays the lives of African American maids working for white families in a small southern town, Jackson Mississippi. In this thrilling novel Skeeter Phelan, a recent college graduate, is thrilled to begin a career in writing, which she hopes will escape her from the circumstances of her racist southern community. Disgusted by the ideas of the Home Help Sanitation Initiative and other racist thoughts created by her childhood friend Hilly Holbrook, Skeeter begins to imagine changing the way people view race in Mississippi. With suggestions from Harper and Row, a publishing company in New York, Miss Phelan undertakes a dangerous project. She begins to interview African American maids throughout her town about what it is like to work for the white families in Jackson. The book unfolds through the eyes of the three main characters; Aibileen Clark, Minnie Jackson, and of course Skeeter Phelan. Throughout this novel, Kathryn Stockett manages to create brilliant parallels between historic events such as the civil rights movement and the lives of the African American woman in this small community in Mississippi.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is such a moving novel that will catch any readers attention. From the very beginning I was addicted to the uncommon relationships that were formed between the main characters. I would absolutely recommend this book to all people that want to read a motivational book about change and courage. Throughout the novel I was inspired by the bravery and courage that these inspirational women portrayed during such a pivotal point in history. Ella C.; Teen Reviewer