Product Description

Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Black maids raise white children, but aren’t trusted not to steal the silver. Some lines will never be crossed. Aibileen is a black maid: smart, regal, and raising her seventeenth white child. Yet something shifted inside Aibileen the day her own son died while his bosses looked the other way. Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is by some way the sassiest woman in Mississippi. But even her extraordinary cooking won’t protect Minny from the consequences of her tongue. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter returns home with a degree and a head full of hope, but her mother will not be happy until there’s a ring on her finger. Seeking solace with Constantine, the beloved maid who raised her, Skeeter finds she has gone. But why will no one tell her where? Seemingly as different as can be, Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny’s lives converge over a clandestine project that will not only put them all at risk but also change the town of Jackson for ever. But why? And for what? The Help is a deeply moving, timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we won’t. Itis about how women, whether mothers or daughters, the help or the boss, relate to each other – and that terrible feeling that those who look after your children may understand them, even love them, better than you . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #260 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
'A wondrous novel about three unforgettable women. A glorious read' - Adriana Trigiani 'Daring, vitally important and deftly handled, I loved and admired The Help. It's very courageous. VERY courageous. Fantastic' - Marian Keyes

About the Author
Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and daughter. This is her first novel.

Customer Reviews

Truly Brilliant
When a book makes you occasionally laugh out loud, has your eyes brimming with tears or has you shouting at the pages through empathy and anger, you know the author has a very rare talent. 'The Help' is one such book. I have not enjoyed a tome so immensely since Michel Faber's 'The Crimson Petal and the White'.
The story is told through three wonderfully real female characters; Minny, Aibileen and Miss Skeeter. The location is Jackson, Mississippi and it's the early 1960s - a turbulent time as the civil rights movement thunders along to the chagrin of many bigoted fools. One visionary in the small town defies her heritage and vows to make a difference and with the aid of the local maids, begins a project which will create havoc for those with lofty positions and appalling attitudes. Within the pages of the book, we are privy to scenes of amazing warmth, great humour and delightful characters with whom you'd love to spend time. Kathryn Stockett has also created one of the most venomous villains since Cruella de Vil and at times I found myself cursing this woman as if I knew her personally.
Vital, engrossing and utterly compelling, 'The Help' is a book I'd urge anyone to read.

Wonderful, Wonderful!
Wow! As a child watching Gone with the Wind, I always wondered how 'mammy' really felt being a black woman in the deep south, I think this book tries to address this very question. The three main characters in this book are beautifully fleshed out & each very likeable, strong women. This is the civil rights movement from a womans perspective but intelligently told from every angle, rich & poor, black & white, privilaged & margionalised. This is also old fashioned story telling at its best, it is well paced & although it deals with a very serious subject, there is wonderful humour throughout. Roll on the next Kathryn Stockett novel, I'll be first in the que.

A different approach to a old subject
This is a brave book that views the American Civil Rights movement largely through the eyes of the people at its sharp end - the black maids who looked after white folks children. This gives the book an authentic period feel and draws the reader in so that they feel transported to the early 1960s - the period the book is set in. The author, however, Miss Stockett, also draws some impressive white characters - especially the poor, ill-educated Miss Celia - a character who could give the average Big Brother contestant a run for their money in the intellectual stakes!
The book is funny in places and certainly makes the reader feel empathy towards the poor, the put upon and the neglected. The only drawback is the language used - as the authentic '60s American style is not so easily read by a 2009 Englishman! Still, I praised the book for its authenticity so you can't have it both ways.
If you like this I also recommend other books about race and the struggle for freedom:One Love Two Colours: The Unlikely Marriage of a Punk Rocker and His African Queen by Margaret Oshindele - a book about a successful inter-racial marriage and Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany - the true story of a mixed race boy growing up in Nazi Germany. Both are extremely interesting reads that leave the reader thinking about their own prejudices and stereotypes.