"The Help"

I'm so sad that the week is already over! I have learned so much in these past few days, and I am truly grateful for this awesome experience. Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the summer, and I will miss you all! 


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In this world, there are millions of books to read, some fantastic, and some not so fantastic. I’ve enjoyed a countless number of novels over the past years, but some works inspire me more than others. Specifically, “The Help,” by: Kathryn Stockett, a masterpiece placing its readers in the 1960’s. Not only is this book set in the past, but it also tells a story of history: a fight for civil rights. 

Every chapter of this novel is from the perspective of a different character, enabling the audience to see inside the minds of various personalities. The diversity of opinions makes for a wonderful tale full of struggle against inequality and struggle against doing what is right.

Skeeter, a 22-year-old blonde woman, returns home after graduating from college. She and her two best friends, Elizabeth and Hilly, have weekly meetings to have lunch and discuss elite events. The help, specifically a maid called Aibileen, has to serve these women and listen to their complaints about the integration of blacks and whites. Hilly specifically treats the black women as lower class in comparison to herself although she is truly the one who is “lower class.” Hilly is one of the most aggravating antagonists I’ve ever read about. She thinks the “help” should have separate bathrooms, separate food to eat, and separate places to eat. Skeeter later becomes infatuated with curiosity regarding how these maids feel serving snobby white women such as Hilly. Once Hilly learns of this obsession that Skeeter has, the two women end their friendship, and Skeeter befriends the maid Aibileen and other friends of Aibileen’s. Skeeter interviews all of these women and attempts to publish a novel from their point of view as “the help.” Skeeter is successful and a whole stream of dramatic events plays out.

This novel has a variety of twists, a lot of romance, and a lot of drama. To those who have never read it, I highly recommend it. Stockett does a fantastic job of creating a story that represents the past so well. The readers truly feel the emotions of the characters, and it truly is an overwhelming feeling. I hope Stockett writes more!