Aibileen, a maid in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, has just discovered that her new friend Ms. Skeeter is willing to go to the "white" library and get some books for her to read. Ms. Skeeter is getting a list of her requests:
"You want a book by . . . Sigmund Freud?"
"Oh, people crazy." She nods. "I love reading about how the head work."
Kathryn Stockett's novel, The Help, was worth it, if only for that conversation! But the entire book was entertaining, thought-provoking, and well-written. It was especially good for me to read because it helped me understand an age and a setting with which I was unfamiliar.
One thing that struck me about the book was how honest it seemed. I was impressed by the fact that the maids, narrating two thirds of the book, allowed some positive aspects of the white mistresses to show through. This was important in contributing to the balance of the story, in a sense affirming the message: "We are all human." Black or white, a complete demonizing of the other side would somehow detract from this message.
And as I have processed the book further, now a few days after finishing it, I realize that maybe I even identify with one of the main characters: Skeeter. brought up some interesting questions about belonging, integrity, and defending what's right when it goes against an accepted culture.
