The Help

I first heard about the book at Christmas time. My aunt suggested we should listen to it on audio book because the lady who read it was incredible. I didn't think much about it. I was going to read the book when I had time at home. But the time was not going to come until summer. (I don't like to listen to audio books. I prefer reading at my own pace and holding the book in my hand.) My parents bought it for me in May, and I didn't have time to read it until a couple of days ago.

It's a good read. But it wasn't life-changing. For some, maybe. But not for me. Racism has been a huge issue for me as long as I can remember. I've always been absolutely opposed to it and have never understood why people get so hung up on what is on the outside. I was disgusted by building separate bathrooms for the help because the employers were afraid of getting diseases. I was disgusted by how everyone was so narrow-minded. I was disgusted by the treatment of African American's. I was disgusted because we are still dealing with racism issues today--50 years later from the big civil rights movements.

I wasn't super happy that Skeeter left at the end of the book for New York, and Abilene and Minny had to stay in Jackson. I felt again that the Caucasian was escaping and the African American's were stuck dealing with the problem. (As I read about the author, I realized Skeeter left because Stockett left when she was 24. The Help was fiction, but it also had lots of autobiographical parts that probably most of us will never realize.)

I was happy that Stockett used a Caucasian lady who wanted to change the way African American's were being treated. She wanted to help them out, and maybe she wanted to start breaking barriers down. I liked the way the book flowed--hearing Abilene, Minny, and Skeeter tell the story. I enjoyed seeing Johnny actually treat his wife in a decent manner.

It may be a good start for those of you who haven't thought about the sin of racism. But there are many other books out there which deal with it much better--To Kill a Mockingbird. It was an interesting read and an easy read, but I probably won't read it again.

We'll see how much the book gets massacred in the movie.