'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett

The Help, Kathryn Stockett (4.0)

I am probably the last person to read this popular book. I knew the basic premise from the hoopla around the book and movie, but luckily it didn’t ruin the reading experience. The story (for anyone-like me-living under a rock) is set in the early 60’s in Jackson, Mississippi and tells the story of black maids and the white women they work for. A young disillusioned white woman tries to understand how the maids really feel about their bosses and decides to write their stories.  While I’m not a big fan of dialectal writing, as many writers who employ it cause a drastic slowing in the flow of the dialogue. Ms. Stockett uses it repetitively, so after a brief slowdown, as the reader gets used to the few words used in dialect, the pace goes back to normal. The beauty of this book is that real and warm characters surround and highlight the social injustices. I particularly liked that it was told from the point of view of three very different characters.