book list: The Help

I actually finished The Help over a month ago and feel like I have written this post in my head twenty times over because I haven't been able to decide what to say: do I want to take the approach of a book review?  Or do I just want to give a quick intro/summary?  Or do I want to talk about all the conversations I've had in the wake of reading this book?  I didn't really come to a conclusion, but didn't want my indecision to prevent me from posting!

Here's what I will say: this is by far the best novel I have read in a very, very long time.  To say it is extremely well-written and that the character development is amazing doesn't do it justice.  I swear you will think the women in the book really lived - that you will feel like you sat at their kitchen tables and talked with them. 

This book is much more than "a good beach read" - at least in my opinion.  Set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, Kathryn Stockett examines some significant topics in a volatile time of history: black/white relations in the South, the Civil Rights movement, the roles of women (black & white), socioeconomic/class differences, etc.  And all of this is done through the lives of an array of women in Jackson who are connected as employees/employers: black women who work as "the help" in the homes of white families.

Having grown up in Georgia, there was much in this book that struck home for me.  My mom, sister, and I have all read the book and have had some great conversations in the past months about the differences and similarities of our own experiences growing up in the South at different times.  If you grew up in the South, I think this book is a must-read!  Stockett does a masterful job of looking at the things that make the South what it is - both good and bad - and she does all of it in a loving and respectful way.  If you are someone who is a transplant to the South, this book might be helpful in learning more about the idiosyncrasies of Southern history and culture!

I definitely recommend putting this at the top of your reading list!  And if you've already read it and want to hear more from Stockett about the process of writing the book, check out this fascinating interview.  The book is being developed into a movie, which is somewhat exciting - but makes me nervous because we all know that a great book almost never turns into a great movie . . .