The Help examines the relationship between African American women working as domestic household help during the 1950s and 1960s. Easily it is a social examination of the relationship between the roles of African American women in positions working as maids in white women's homes. But can easily parallel the domestic servant and privileged class relationship as it had been for centuries. This fictional book includes the social movements of the tumultuous times of the African American sit-ins, to the Freedom Summer (a voting movement to break old class and racial restrictions of African Americans and to help them register to vote) to the Brown vs. The Board of Education Topeka, Kansas (1954). This book is about a woman, Skeeter, who in her search to answer the disappearance of her childhood maid Constantine, teams up with a myriad of African American maids who all tell their life stories and their experiences helping white families in Jackson, Mississippi. Skeeter compiles these stories to produce a book titled Help (of course anonymously written), which becomes a huge secret thought provoking hit throughout the nation transcending racial barriers. The Help is phenomenal! It is well written and is full of humble observance of the lines that should indeed be crossed and poignantly reminds us as women and as people, "We are just two people. Not much separates us. Not nearly as mush as I'd thought." This book instinctively intertwines humor and love; and even a few well doled out instances of humane revenge. (Be careful how you treat those who prepare your food... Especially your favorite pie!)
My rating; 5 out of 5
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