The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

[alh]

<p>Has this book already been discussed here? If so, I’m sorry.
I saw it in the NYT book review and the Huffington Post and then every book-club-belonging friend was reading it. I put it off for so long because, having grown up in the world she describes, it is a really hard story for me and I knew I was going to be very disturbed by the voice. I just can’t understand if she wanted to tell this story she didn’t do as her character Skeeter and make it a cooperative effort. </p>

<p>

Q: Were you nervous that some people might take affront that you, a white woman in 2008 — and a Southern white woman at that — were writing in the voice of two African-American maids?</p>

<p>KS: At first, I wasn’t nervous writing in the voice of Aibileen and Minny because I didn’t think anybody would ever read the story except me. I wrote it because I wanted to go back to that place with Demetrie. I wanted to hear her voice again.</p>

<p>But when other people started reading it, I was very worried about what I’d written and the line I’d crossed. And the truth is, I’m still nervous. I’ll never know what it really felt like to be in the shoes of those black women who worked in the white homes of the South during the 1960s and I hope that no one thinks I presume to know that. But I had to try. I wanted the story to be told. I hope I got some of it right.

[Bookreporter.com</a> - Author Profile: Kathryn Stockett](<a href=“http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-stockett-kathryn.asp]Bookreporter.com”>http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-stockett-kathryn.asp)</p>

[mapesy]

<p>Perhaps it’s because–as in the book–doing so would have great personal repercussions for the interviewees and their families. Although this country has made tremendous racial progress over the past 40 years, we still have a long way to go.</p>

<p>And how do we know for certain that Ms. Stockett didn’t base the characters Aibileen and Minny on real people? It’s certainly possible that she did, but she wants to protect them. I felt all along that Ms. Stockett was telling her own personal story in the voice of Skeeter.</p>

<p>I, too, grew up in that world. Some of my relatives still live in that world. This was a very difficult book for me to read, but I’m so glad I read it. I agree with Ms. Stockett that the story needs to be told, and I think she did a phenomenal job.</p>

[oaklandmom]

<p>The book is the February CC Book Club selection - here’s the thread <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection.html?highlight=book+club[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection.html?highlight=book+club&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[JustAMomOf4]

<p>alh - Can you give it a couple of weeks?
We will be discussing the book in February here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[alh]

<p>^^Thank you! I tried the search function unsuccessfully. My bad.</p>

[Mary13]

<p>I’m almost finished with the book and looking forward to our discussion in a couple of weeks. alh & mapesy, I’ll copy and paste your posts above on the main thread once we get started. Lots of questions and comments already running through my head…</p>

<p>This is a good opportunity to remind anyone who hasn’t read *The Help<a href=“maybe%20two%20or%20three%20of%20you%20out%20there?%20:”>/i</a>) that there is still time to pick it up before our discussion begins on February 13th. Thanks for posting the link, oaklandmom and JustAMomOf4.</p>

[dke]

<p>Couldn’t put it down.</p>