The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a historical fiction novel that you will love if you like historical fiction. This novel, which was published by Penguin Books in 2009, is about African Americans who work in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, in the early 1960s. The helpers take care of everything, from cleaning to cooking to caring for the elderly. The story isn’t the most exciting but it does provide a glimpse at one group of characters.
Set in 1962 Mississippi, The Help follows several women through their personal struggles. Aibileen Clark was recently fired after she was burned in an accident at work. Minny Jackson has been working for Mrs. Walters for 19 year. The story is about a group women, some with compassion and others without. The Help has many strong female characters, each with their own stories.
The Help was a bestseller last year but it has fallen to No. This week, The Help is No. 4 on the New York Times Best-Seller List. The author will attend Brenau University on Wednesday for a public reading of the novel. First-year students are welcome to attend. Tickets are free and the public reading starts at 7:30 p.m. The event is open for the public, but students are encouraged and asked to RSVP in order to ensure that there is enough space.
The local library is another important setting in the book. Aibileen learns about the Jim Crow Laws at this library. Aibileen exposes the Jim Crow Laws her white employers to make her aware of the injustices in society and her own racism. In spite of the racist society of Jackson, she continues to pursue her writing career, which helps her find her place in the city. There is white privilege and racism, and she is a victim of both.
In the novel, there is also a significant number of characters that are not as easily relatable as they might seem. Aibileen, a housekeeper from Africa, is one of the black characters. Aibileen is promoting the Home Help Sanitation Initiative. This program requires that black housekeepers have their own bathroom. Her employer does this for them, and she finally tells Skeeter her story, despite all the racism she has experienced.
These stereotypes are true, even though they are fictional characters. For instance, Aibileen, the maid who works for the Mobleys, tries to protect her master from corrupting her and destroying the life of her employer. The ignorance of the black community is the source of the racist tropes in the story. This segregation makes black and white people experience the world differently than one another. It is important to have interactions with other groups in order to better understand each other.
In addition to the two main characters, the plot of The Help revolves around the relationships between Minny and her new family. The Foote family consists of her uncle Johnny and his wife Celia Rae. The Footes are fairly kind to Minny. In fact, Celia Rae does not consider Minny unclean, even though she is a former gangster. Their relationship is complex, and they depend on each other to solve their problems.