Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

At just over 440 pages, this book is a bit hefty, but I was able to polish it off in about 3 days. It moves fast. The Help by Kathryn Stockett is one of those books that 'everyone is reading' that I usually...don't read. It took me almost two years and multiple recommendations before I picked it up at the library, but I'm so glad I did, especially since this summer the movie is set to come out!

This novel is about Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's and deals with the racial segregation that plagued most of the South during this time. More specifically, it's about a woman, Skeeter, who is a little bit different than most high class white women at the time. She becomes friends with her friends' housekeepers and decides to write a book about their work experience-anonymously-and send it off to a publishing house in New York City to see if it could be published.

The characters in The Help are brillantly written, and Stockett did a wonderful job telling this story-the one that if you read closely in the Afterward-was very close to home for her growing up. This is a fantastic book, and I give it 4 out of 5 stars for humor, clarity, and appeal. I say read this book, then watch the movie!

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