While I was in school I admit that most of my reading was school-related. Both my undergraduate and graduate work was done in reading-intensive topics (international studies, public relations/communications) so reading for fun just was not an option. But since graduating into the 9-5 world, my passion for reading has transferred to fun/educational/self-picked reads. I have participated in several book clubs and really enjoy reading at least a few pages before bed every night.
The book I just finished (on loan from my OM, Lynn) was really enlightening so I decided to write a few lines about it.
Titled "The Help" and written by a first-time novelist Katheryn Stockett, it portrays the life of white people and their African-American house help in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement. I found this book fascinating for two reasons:
- first, I grew up in Romania, a country made of 99.9% caucasians, with very little to no exposure to other ethnicities and cultures. This books made me feel like I was a fly on the wall of that time, providing insights not only into the life of whites and how they treated their African-American help, but also into the lives of the African-American community at the time.
- the second reason that makes this book interesting is that it is written in the voices of three women: two amazing African-Americans (Aibileen and her best friend Minny) and a white, country-club-raised young woman named Skeeter who chooses to break the mould of the time and tell the stories of these women who raise children, cook, clean and make the world go-round in the white community without even having access to the same bathroom. What mostly stood out for me is the love that these hard-working women felt for the white children they took care of every day, most times at the expense of their own children.
This book is a GREAT read and I highly recommend it. It is smart, well written, painful and beautiful all at the same time.
