The Help

I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett for our April book club and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Often times, books that are hot best sellers and get lots of buzz from book clubs, popular media, etc don't live up to my expectations.

But The Help was a character rich, plot driven and entertaining read. I felt like I got to know these women and I felt like so many of the themes weren't necessarily limited to the South or the 1960s. The Junior League women ostracizing Skeeter when she doesn't agree with their racist points of view is familiar to any woman who has had a close group of girlfriends and then experiences a life change and finds those friends treating her as an outsider. Skeeter's mom wanting to shield her daughter from the fact that she is seriously ill and hell bent on beating itis another universal theme.

When we discussed this book at book club, one woman who had grown up in Louisiana and who's mother and grandmother had always had help took such offense to this book and the fact that it was riddled with stereotypes. It led to an interesting discussion, but never having any experience with domestic help I just couldn't relate. And no matter what job someone is doing, I have always tried to treat them with respect. Side thought: isn't that a tenant of Christianity? And isn't the South filled with lots of Christians?

In short, the book was a great read and good for lots of thought-provoking discussion.