The Help

I started seeing it everywhere. At first, it only appeared at the pool, in the hands of one woman sunbathing. Then, I saw it at my piano studio: two ladies opening it whenever their child was in a lesson. At a visit to Borders, where it was prominently featured. Finally, it reached the hands of my neighbor and good friend, with a gold embossed cover. The Help, it was simply titled. What a mysterious title! As my good friend put it, "It could have been some spiritual help book, or some wierd thing about divine intervention." But my other good friend insisted, "Abby, read it. It is the best book I've ever read."

So, I hiked down to Borders and bought myself a copy of The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. It turns out, this is not a self-help book about divine intervention or spiritual guidance. It is instead an accurate (I think) and moving portrait of racial tension and discrimination during the 1960s in Birmingham, Alabama. Skeeter, a skinny, upper class white woman with higher aspirations than to simply marry and be a housewife, feels out of place with her childhood friends after returning to college. She misses Constantine, the "help" her family hired and who practically raised her, and begins to realize the incongruencies of social life in Birmingham. Then there's Aibileen, a steadfast, "colored" woman, hired to raise the children in wealthy families, who witnesses the sad neglect of many of these children, and her best friend, sassy Minnie, who can't control her impertinent manner but bakes like no other. These three women, all in completely different situations, join together on a project that is dangerous and revealing, all the while juggling the struggles of their individual lives.

To make a truly excellent book, I think you need three things. The first, believable, real characters who carry the story with their characterized actions. The second, a good plot, with interesting events, rising action, and an excellent climax or conclusion. And the third (and it should be confessed that this is by no means my own idea) is an element of truth about the world. The Help has all three.

First, the characters: the world of Birmingham's social scene is completely realized, with excellent, real characters. Aibileen and Minnie are wonderfully funny, sharp, sweet characters, both of whom I fell in love with as I read. Minnie is sassy, cracking jokes or retorts that made me laugh out loud! And Aibileen's patience and calm demeanor make her a character I admire.But Skeeter, who could be argued to be the main character, fell flat in some places. She lacked dimension as a character, and depth, although clearly thoughtful and clever. Skeeter moves the plot, but she somehow isn't as lovable as Aibileen or Minnie. Her character isn't as clearly drawn or predictable in that familiar way. But the supporting characters of Birmingham bring the city to life in their very real, very human reactions to many of the problems brought up in the book.

The plot, while not fast paced, is excellent, ripe with funny or sad incidents to further character development, and all building to a revolutionizing climax of ideas for the three women. I couldn't stop reading- I was so eager to discover what would happen to these women. And again, this is a mark of the character strength; I genuinely cared for them. And while a story taking place in Birmingham in the 1960s can be scary and dark, this book remains powerfully moving while keeping the examples of prejudice light and the humor peppered throughout in careful portions.

Finally, the element of truth. Well. Katherine Stockett, the author of The Help, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, in the time period she wrote about. Stockett had the access and the knowledge to create a realistic portrait of Birmingham, and indeed she does. But that's not the only true element of the book. The truth of prejudice is revealed as in no other book I've read, in that very basic prejudice which we excuse as 'better' for the other party or we assume without thinking. And it tells the truth of the human nature, of kindness triumphing over pressure and of great goals which will be met, no matter what. It doesn't preach or rant or rave, but simply shows the reader through the stories of so many different people, stories both heartwarming and appalling.

When these three elements combine, they make a truly moving and excellent book. Small wonder it's been on the bestseller list! This is the sort of versatile book that can be read as serious reading or summer beach reading! You almost don't realize how much you're learning, which in the summer break from school is a good thing. And while the troubles in Birmingham may seem outdated, the choices the characters face and make resonate through the decades with our own choices today, over different issues. I highly recommend reading this book for an enjoyable, enlightening (in the light sense) and empowering read.