The Help is a book written by Kathryn Stockett. A movie by the same name is on the big screen. From all accounts, it is supposed to be a feel-good story about the racial divide present in the 1960s. But in reality, the book itself has some problems which this review is going to address. This book does contain some racial material. So be careful in picking up this book if you are sensitive to such subjects.
Shakespeare and Mark Twain had one very important attribute in their writings. They both addressed the language of the times. Mark Twain showed that skin color had no boundaries when it came to the use of dialect. While it may seem unfair to compare The Help to a classic author like Mark Twain, it does this for the sole purpose of showing a distinct disconnect between the language of the “white” and the “black” characters. It is never more evident than when one of the characters, introduced to the reader as “white trash,” speaks with a certain educational level that is unjustified by her background. The difference in dialect between the maids and the white employers is probably unintentional but it is evident nevertheless.
Another problem with the book is that the main focus is less on the thoughts and stories of the maids. Instead, it is a hyper-indulgent focus on the writer who wants to become famous. The story of the maids is more a means to an end for the writer than a true insight into the inner workings of white households. In fact, you can find that the maids fit within certain stereotypes that were clearly present within the advertising of that age.
But perhaps, the biggest question is whether or not these individuals would actually breach the confidence of their employers, since this would endanger their current employment and future recommendations. In other words, their stories would have drastic consequences for the tellers. At best, these stories would have been told anonymously rather than in this type of tell-all.
Aside from those large problems, a few minor problems also seem to exist. Mainly, these problems exist in the details. Some of the minor events portrayed actually happened after the fact. But those aren’t the most serious problems.
The fact is that the story is clearly lopsided. It does have the potential to offend some readers based on its subject matter and the treatment of the characters.
Recommend picking this up in the library if you want to compare it to the movie. Otherwise, stick to discounted versions or used versions of the book. It is unlikely you will want to read it twice.
[...] The Help follows the lives of three women in 1962 Mississippi. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just graduated from college with a degree. But it doesn’t mean anything, especially to her mother, unless she gets a ring on her finger. Aibileen is a black maid raising her seventeenth white child, one she’s devoted to, even though she knows their hearts will eventually be broken. Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is “perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi”, according to Amazon. She can cook like nobody’s business, but her sharp tongue prevents her from keeping a job. Minny eventually finds a job for someone new in town who doesn’t know her reputation but who has secrets of her own. Together, the three women band together to form a partnership that will put them all at risk. (For another view of The Help, read this article.) [...]
[...] Share Back in August, our own T Akery reviewed the book-turned-movie hit of the summer, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. It was, perhaps, a little more timely a few months ago, so she beat me to the [...]