Tolog Review: The Help

The Help 
by Kathryn Stockett
reviewed by Katherine Lund

When you think back to the early southern and rural 1960’s do you think of times when our world was disrupted daily due to the differentiation between Caucasians and African Americans? Kathryn Stockett teaches readers in her book, The Help, how the African American women dealt with this ongoing issue that only brought distress and a sense of loss to these individuals who had to tirelessly work to not only provide a living for the white people, that did not do much of anything, but also provide for themselves a life in which they could take pride. These domestic women served as maids in wealthy Caucasian homes where they were treated with disrespect and seen as nothing.

Aibileen Clark was one of the many domestic women who worked towards giving herself a life that she could stand up for with dignity. She works in partnership with Minny Jackson and Ms. Skeeter Phelan to write a book in which they attempt to pave a path towards the gaining of respect. Minny Jackson is one of the maids who teaches readers that sometimes people need a little bit of “sass” talk in order to make them understand. She understands that the Caucasian people are higher in social class but takes it upon herself to have enough self decency to tell them that she is important even if it includes a couple of pranks along the way. Ms. Skeeter Phelan is not your average Caucasian female living at this time period. She is not married, lives with her sick mother, gets a job as a writer, and is very interested in the lives of the African American maids. She shows us that doing things that are out of the ordinary may change a person’s life. Skeeter not only wants to understand how the so called, “help,” go about their daily lives but understand the intimacy that lies underneath their skin.

This historical novel captivates readers and evokes suspense up to the very last page. It arouses readers and has them sitting on the edge of their seats as they stifle their tears or laugh out loud as they are able to connect with the characters and begin to see how doing something small can make a big difference. This novel sheds a new light on the aspect of thinking of others as less, when the facts show this is far from the truth.