Set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, this read questions the value to friendships while looking a race relations. It takes the form of three voices, two African-American maids and one white woman, who together, try to make a huge change to a society where change doesn't come easily. Miss Skeeter, the caucasian woman, and her "elite" white friends meet weekly for their bridge games, which often leads to a venting session about the "help", their black maids. Miss Skeeter decides to author a book, with the assistance of two black maids, to uncover the secret life of black maids and the women they work for. Aibileen and Minny begin to share draw dropping stories of how mistreated they are by their bosses. All three women have so much to lose, including their lives, possibly. Will they have the courage to see the book to publication? What will be the consequences of writing against the white women of the town? Funny and heartwarming, this book allows it's readers to question how they treat and are treated by the opposite race.
I fell in love with this book frankly because I lived in Jackson for 10 years. Several of the places in the book are places that I not only visited, but are central to the city. This includes a shout out to Millsaps College, my alma mater. I had the opportunity to meet the author, who was also a Jackson resident. Though I was not impressed by her demeanor, (she was a bit snobby) her work was such a joy to read, I forgave her first impression.
From the publisher: What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.
Rating: 3 out of 5*****
