The Help

I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I decided to read this book because I had heard so many amazing things about it and with the movie coming out it seemed like the perfect time to pick it up and read it and I wasn't disappointed. Living in Mississippi while reading a book based in Mississippi made this novel even more special to me. 

Based in early 1960's Jackson, Mississippi, this story follows the narrative of African American maids Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson as well as Caucasian college graduate Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan. The book discusses the trio's day to day lives and how different all three of them are from one another. Skeeter decides she wants to write a book telling the stories of the maids and the people they work for and convinces Aibileen and Minny to assist her.

At first I struggled a bit with dialect because I simply hadn't expected it. When I read books I completely submerge my imagination into the plot of the story. Imagining everything from the way a character speaks and dresses, to their surroundings. This was the first book I've read where the author actually wants me to imagine the character's accent a specific way, and I love that! I like the feeling of being on the same page as the writer especially if the book is turned into a movie and the movie looks the way I imagined.

This book truly played out like a film, which made it doubly easy for me to read! I can't wait to see the movie! I encourage anyone who hasn't already done so to read this book you will laugh, cry, and laugh again! After reading this book I definitely have a better appreciation for what life has given me, and I think I'll skip the chocolate cake tonight!