The Help

Stars: 4.5/5
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Subjects: domestic help, racial tensions, Jim Crow Laws, African American Women, white women, gender roles, writing, publishing, small town, civil rights
ISBN: 978-0425245132
Copyright Year: 2011
Other Comments: The Help was a fantastic book.  I would have given it a perfect 5/5 stars had it not been for some situations that seemed slightly unbelievable.  The Help is about three women, two of which are black women who work as domestic maids and nannies.  The other young lady is a white woman writer.  Eventually all of them come together to do something no one has done before - write about what its like to serve as the help for white families.  During the civil rights movements and the Jim Crow Laws, this was a dangerous idea for all of them.  However, against all odds, they manage to write the book and publish it.  They then begin to watch as the town around them starts to change.  The Help is widely popular right now and a movie has just been produced based on the book.  I would suggest reading the book first and then seeing the movie.  Both are excellent works!