I try not to read super popular books the millisecond they peak on the NYT Bestseller list, but my curiosity got the best of me with The Help. I knew I was in for it when I put my name on the reserve list and found I was #659.
Three months later, I finally got to know Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. At first I will admit, I was not sure the book would live up to all of the hype. In general, I am not a fan of books told in voices where the first person perspective rotates throughout the novel. I often feel it allows the writer to cheat on the writing and not be as descriptive or powerful. However, I try not to let this skew my view of a novel until I’ve given it a fair chance. One of my favorite books ever, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is told this way and is done beautifully. Kathryn Stockett nailed the voices in The Help and I could not imagine it told any other way. I also have a soft spot for books within books – characters reading or writing within a novel.
Fittingly, this novel is about voices. Voices that speak their mind and are encouraged to, voices that are stifled and punished, and voices that are emerging and finding their pitch and tone.
Growing up in Ohio long after the Civil Rights movement, I read about race relations in books but had no real idea of the personal magnitude. Stockett’s early experience with the dichotomy between maids and their white employers added even more authenticity to such a difficult subject. The characters make this novel stand out as a vibrant, poignant, and honest look at 1960s America. To think that some of the injustices described within occurred within my parents lifetime is sad.
I also love that this book is getting so much press and attention and reigniting discussion on an often glossed over subject. It may make people uncomfortable, but ignoring our daily transgressions is a slippery slope. Wherever humans don’t treat humans as humans, we’ll never be “done.”
I’m working on loving my neighbor a bit more this year. How about you?
2 Comments
February 24, 2010 at 7:43 pm
This is my book club’s next book. Am taking it on spring break with me in a couple of weeks when I’m not so distracted. Your review has just whetted my anticipation!
March 5, 2010 at 9:59 pm
like you, i’ve been a little reluctant to pick this up right away… so much hype. but, at the same time, i think i’ll really enjoy it when i do.
your review makes me want to read it, though, for sure. maybe i’ll get over myself and pick it up… after Pillars of the Earth, of course. :)