Waterville Public Library

The Help By Kathryn Stockett

Review by Rachel Gagnon 

Have you ever finished a book  that was so good that you didn’t know what to do with yourself after? When I finished The Help, I clutched it to my chest and sat there for a few minutes absorbing everything that I had just read. I then found myself wandering through my apartment not knowing what to do. I have a stack of library books with an ever approaching due date looming over my head, so I thought “well, I should probably start the next one…” But I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to leave behind Aibileen, Minny, and Miss Skeeter. I wanted to keep reading about their lives, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I was sad that it was over. 

Kathryn Stockett’s The Help takes place in 1962’s Jackson, Mississippi and is narrated by three women: Miss Skeeter, a wealthy, young white woman; Aibileen, a black maid who has raised 17 white children; and Minny, a headstrong black maid whose sassy attitude oftentimes gets the best of her. Miss Skeeter is tired of her life and aspires to become a writer in New York City. She sends her resume to Harper & Rowe and a publisher advises her to gain experience by writing about things that disturb her. Missing the black maid that raised her and disgusted by the way her best friends treat their maids, she enlists Aibileen and Minny to help her write a book about their experiences working for white families. And boy, these women certainly have plenty to share…

I was shocked when I read Stockett’s ‘About the Author’ blurb on the back cover and discovered that this was her first novel. It was so well written, inspiring, heartfelt, humorous and fresh that I thought surely this was a seasoned author with a few books under her belt. She created such a fantastic cast of characters, not just the three main women, but the supporting characters of hateful housewives, clueless husbands, loveable children, parents, caring employees, and of course the maids. 

I don’t think I can accurately express my feelings for this book through words, so the bottom line is: Read this book. You won’t be disappointed.