I was really struck by how vulnerable the maids were and how few options they had in their lives. This was an extremely controversial topic for this time and place and all the participants faced consequences ranging from ostracization to physical violence.Īs the three narrators work together on the book, the author creates scenarios that effectively illustrate the heartbreaking impact of racism in 1960s Mississippi. Skeeter is an aspiring writer who wants to write a book that will essentially be a collection of stories from a dozen black maids about their experiences working for white families. The three voices are well-written and each character contributes a unique perspective to the story.

She was raised by her own family’s beloved maid. Miss Skeeter is part of the young matron crowd, although an awkward, unmarried fifth wheel. Minny is another maid who is blunt and angry but also capable of great loyalty. First we meet Aibileen, a middle-aged maid who loves raising the children of her employers but tends to move on when these children lose their colorblindness. The story has three different narrators, each with their own unique voices. The maids are privy to all sorts of their employers’ family secrets, raise the white children like their own and are the subjects of bizarre stereotypes and sometimes cruel treatment. In Jackson, young society matrons have black maids and many black women depend on these jobs to eke out enough income to live on. But civil rights activists are starting to make some headway on changing the rules and the mindset. Jim Crow laws are still in effect and racial prejudice is overt.

“The Help” takes place in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. I was feeling like the only person on Earth who hadn’t read “The Help”, so I took care of that little problem.

The help novel by kathryn stockett