The Help

The Help is on lots of 2009 must-read lists and it appeared over and over on lists bloggers provided for me of books to read this summer.

I couldn't help myself...I had to go ahead and get it and read it.

The help is the stories of maids and housewives in the 1960's in the South told in alternating chapters. It was an uncomfortable read, at times, as I could have been a little girl listening in on the conversations of the maids or the housewives during this time. Though we only had a maid for one day (she ironed too slowly, my mom said), I feel almost certain that I've heard these words here and there. The majority of the housewives seemed to be unaware that slavery had ended and, sadly, the maids seemed likewise uninformed.

This is the kind of book I'd recommend to someone who says, “What's wrong with black America? Why can't black America get with the program?”