The Help

This entertaining story takes place in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. Initially, I was not too fond of the deep southern dialect of the two maids. Still, once I accepted this, I was drawn into the book and could appreciate its full impact. It deals with a serious topic, what it's like for a black maid to work for and serve a white family. It is full of witty observations, poignant moments, and sad events. There are also some humorous moments.

Kathryn Stockett makes the characters and setting in this book come alive. She does this through phenomenal character development and descriptions of life in Mississippi during the 60's that feel authentic. She allows you deep into the psyche of these characters, which persuades you to see them as real people with feelings and hope and, above all else, courage.

I was angered by some of the events that unfolded and intrigued by others. The book's strength is not only the relationships between the black maids and the white employers but also the black maids and the white children in their care. It's interesting; the bonding between child and caretaker does not know racial prejudice.

In short, this nicely written book stimulates lots of discussions, an excellent book club choice. It's also an incredible story with characters you care about. Some of the characters and events will resonate with you for a long time after you finish this book.

I recommend it to anyone looking for a light but absorbing read with emotional pull or those drawn to books about the South or civil rights.

"1. Who was your favorite character? Why?

2. What do you think motivated Hilly? On one hand she's so unpleasant to Aibileen and her own help, as well as to Skeeter once she realizes she can't control her. But she's a wonderful mother. Do you think you can be a good mother but at the same time a deeply flawed person?

3. Like Hilly, Skeeter's mother is a prime example of someone deeply flawed yet somewhat sympathetic. She seems to care for Skeeter - and she also seems to have very real feelings for Constantine. Yet the ultimatum she gives to Constantine is untenable. And most of her interaction with Skeeter is critical. Do you think Skeeter's mother is a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Why?

4. How much of a person's character do you think is shaped by the times in which they live?

5. Did it bother you that Skeeter is willing to overlook so many of Stuart's faults so that she can get married, and it's not until he literally gets up and walks away that the engagement falls apart?

6. Do you think Minny was justified in her distrust of white people?

7. Do you think that had Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, that Mae Mobley would have grown up to be racist like her mother? Do you think racism is inherent, or taught?

8. From the perspective of a 21st century reader, the hair shellac system that Skeeter undergoes seems ludicrous. Yet women still alter their looks in rather peculiar ways as the definition of "beauty"changes with the times. Looking back on your past, what's the most ridiculous beauty regimen you ever underwent?

9. The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom about her. How do you think she does this?

10. What did you think about Minny's pie for Miss Hilly? Would you have gone as far as Minny did for revenge?

11. "I was as enslaved as all the others" (page 300). Do you think this statement by Lavinia is fair? Is her position equivalent to those of the slaves? What freedom does she have that the slaves do not? What burdens does her race put upon her?

The #1 New York Times bestselling novel and basis for the Academy Award-winning film-a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't-nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure.

Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...