The Help

I enjoyed this wonderful story The Help by Kathryn Stockett which was set in Mississippi in 1962. The story is told in the first person by three of the characters - Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. Aibileen and Minny are black maids working for white families and Skeeter is an aspiring white journalist and writer who persuades these maids and others to tell their stories. In this environment, this is a very dangerous enterprise and secrecy is essential. The reader is faced with some of the realities of black people living in this time, some of which seem ridiculous to our 21st century minds. For example, black people's urine carries more diseases than white people's - seems laughable now but the consequences for black people at that time using a "white" toilet could be tragic. The author wrote with authority and experience as someone who grew up being served by a black maid, so she brings that personal knowledge as well as her research to write a suspenseful, unputdownable book that keeps you thinking. Highly recommended. 5/5