The Help

Stockett, Kathryn. The Help. Berkley Trade; Mti Rei edition (June 28, 2011).

ISBN: 0425245136

The Help

Written by: Mark Dunn

Reviewed by: Ariel Lee

Recommended Audience: High School

         The 1960’s, a time of inequality and prejudice, was best known for the historical events mainly pertaining to slavery. The events in the book were based on a true story and takes place in a small town in Minnesota. An aspiring writer, Skeeter, grew up with other high class people; However throughout the book we see her deviate from most of the people around her. She has just graduated from college and was offered a job to write a column in the town’s local newspaper, so she decided to record the experiences of the black maids in the community and their tight-knit relationship with one another.

         As the novel progresses, Skeeter becomes increasingly bothered by the way her close friends have begun to treat their maids. Most of the women around her have started families and were greatly reliant upon the maids, yet treated them awfully. Unlike her friends, she believes that what they are doing is not morally right and wants to share the stories of the maids in hopes of putting a stop to the racial inequality.

         Although she has been criticized for defending the black maids and community, she broke the cycle of racism in her era and I very much admire her for that. I think that Skeeter’s optimism and drive for justice in the black community is so inspirational to many people and sets forth a great example. The book provides comical relief but at the same time may pull on the reader’s heartstrings a bit. This is a great read for all ages and provides a great moral example of equality and the importance of doing what is right.

Description of the Book:

Publisher’s Website: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/berkley.html

Description of the book & the author: http://youtu.be/jGzmd0q5rTg

Youtube Video Describing the book: http://youtu.be/wYtMBvAE8Co