The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I read this book on my mother's recommendation. I knew that it was making the rounds in pop culture; a movie based on the book came out recently.

To my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of a community of women in Jackson, Mississippi in the early to mid 1960s. The focus is on the interaction between the white women and the black maids and nannies who made their households run. One white woman, who wants to be a writer, decides to try and interview 'the help' to see how the relationships looked from their perspective. The book is told from the point of view of a number of different characters, and it's really interesting to see how the stories intertwine.

I laughed out loud a few times while reading this book, one quote that totally cracked me up (and made me think about teaching): "'What you learn today?' I ask even though she ain't in real school, just the pretend kind. Other day, when I ask her, she say, 'Pilgrims. They came over and nothing would grow so they ate the Indians.'
Now I know them Pilgrims didn't eat no Indians. But that ain't the point. Point is, we got to watch what get up in these kids' heads."

The story is frustrating in many ways, and you can predict a lot of what happens, but it is well told, and definitely makes you think.

8/10