Help, I Need Somebody!

I'm sooooo excited! A few weeks ago, I read awesome book called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It's was seriously amazing! And guess what? Yesterday I found out it's being made into a movie!

The basic plot is about two black women, Aibileen and Minnie and a young white girl nick named Skeeter. It's 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi and both Abileen and Minnie are servants in white households, raising other people's children and doing their cooking. Skeeter has just graduated from college and has come home to live. Skeeter is getting fed up with life at home. She wants to be a writer but her mother doesn't think writing is an appropriate profession for a well brought up girl.

Skeeter was raised by a black housekeeper named Constantine. Not long ago Constantine disappeared and Skeeter desperately wants to find out about her. So Skeeter talks to Aibileen, who works for her friend Hilly. As she does this she slowly starts to realize what life is like for a black person living in Jackson during the Civil Rights movement.

Skeeter knows she has to do something to help. So she convinces Aibileen to let Skeeter  interview her for a book. Word spreads and eventually Skeeter interviews all of Aibileen's friends who work in white homes, including Minnie. They call the finished book Help.

You might think this story( Civil Rights in the 60's) has been told over and over and over again. And it has. But never like this. Just trust me on this. The Help is incredibly moving. It brings up things I had never thought of before. I never really thought about what it would be like to raise a child, to love them and have them love you. And suddenly they realize your different because of the colour of your skin and suddenly they think less of you. I never thought about how hard it would be to see that child's parents ignore them, to see that child hurting and you can't do anything about because your "just hired help". I can't imagine how awful that would be.

But don't get me wrong, this book isn't all serious. There are some really hilarious parts too. The Help is just an all around great book.

I can't wait to see the movie! It looks great! Take a look at this trailer:

The Help was rejected by 60 different publishing companies before it was finally accepted. Meanwhile, a friend of the author's decided to make it into a screen play. Now the book is a number 1 New York Times bestseller and the screen play is being made into a movie. Thank goodness because this is a really great book!