#24 The Help by Kathryn Stockett

YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THIS BOOK! I just finished it last week and I am still thinking about it. This is the kind of book that you find yourself savoring, reading slowly trying not to get to the end. But I did get to the end, and now I have to tell you about it.

The Help takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. It is the story of three amazing women. Skeeter is a young privileged white girl who just graduated from Ole Miss. She dreams of being a writer. She is instructed by a mentor to write about things that bother her. She quickly looks around her town and finds something. Abileen is a black maid who has raised 17 white children. She loves them as if they were her own, only to realize that one day they will treat her as badly as their parents do. Minny is Abileen's best friend. She's another maid and leaves her own children to raise someone else's. She's a saucy, mouthy woman who seems strong, but is dealing with a very serious situation at home. All three women embark on a project to tell the world about the lives of black maids in Missippi.

I am shocked that The Help is Kathryn Stockett's first novel. It is so well written. The story sucked me in immediately and held on. I was so moved by each woman's story. There were moments that I cried for them. There were other moments where I burst out laughing (Minnie is HILARIOUS!).

If you read one book this summer, let this one be it! It is amazing!