THE HELP by K. Stockett Is A Good Read!
by Monica "Dr. mOe" Anderson
Published 8/4/11 on www.soulciti.com
The fact that the author is white and was raised by her family’s African-American help in Jackson, Mississippi has been a source of more than a little controversy about the book and soon to be released movie of the same name...
1. The Help is a Good Read
Monica "Dr. mOe" Anderson, soulciti.com, August 6, 2011
Unlike some reviewers, fans, prognosticators, and haters,
I actually read all 444-pages of the #1 New York Times
best-selling book, “The Help,” by Kathyrn Stockett. "The
Help" tells the story of relationships between black maids
and their white employers during the height of the Civil
Rights Movement. The fact that the author is white and
was raised by her family’s African-American help in
Jackson, Mississippi has been a source of more than a
little controversy about the book and soon to be released
movie of the same name.
Before I opine, you need a few facts about me. I am a
multi-published novelist, avid reader, African-American,
native Texan, cultural historian, repeated victim of
racism/sexism/regionalism, a former Junior Leaguer,
practicing dentist, and the granddaughter of not one but
three strong Southern black women who lectured me on
the ways of “white folks” from the time I learned to say
“y’all” and “yes, ma’am.” So let’s just say I’m not particularly partial to an author just because I
know how hard it is to write and publish a book. Nor, am I inclined to have a knee-jerk negative
reaction because someone white employs black dialect to convey a third person point of view.
“The Help” is set in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1962. The main character, 23-year-old, Eugenia
“Skeeter” Phelan recently graduated from Ole Miss with dreams of becoming a famous journalist
in New York. Her mother, Mrs. Charlotte, is disappointed that her daughter came home with a
degree instead of an engagement ring. From Mrs. Charlotte’s Husband-Hunting guide we learn
“Rule Number One: a pretty, petite girl should accentuate with makeup and good posture” as
Skeeter is very plain and tall, her mother believes her only hope is hair gel and “a trust fund.”
The chasm between the attitudes of mother and daughter is filled with more than disparate views
on marriage. For starters, Mama Phelan and no one else in town will provide curious Skeeter
with a satisfactory explanation of the mysterious disappearance of Constantine, the maid who
lovingly raised Skeeter and her brother. This dark secret is alluded to throughout the book by the
maids Skeeter interviews when she decides to undertake the dangerous mission of writing a
ground-breaking novel about the prevailing racial and class barriers from the perspective of the
help.