The Help is a 2009 novel by American author Kathryn Stockett. The story is about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s.
The novel is told from the point of view of three narrators: Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children, and who has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson, an African-American maid whose back-talk towards her employers results in her having to frequently change jobs, exacerbating her desperate need for work as well as her family's struggle with money; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a young white woman and recent college graduate who, after moving back home, discovers that a maid that helped raise her since childhood has abruptly disappeared and her attempts to find her have come to naught. The stories of the three women intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help", with complex relations of power, money, emotion, and intimacy tying together the white and black families of Jackson.
A USA Today article called it one of 2009's "summer sleeper hits". An early review in The New York Times notes Stockett's "affection and intimacy buried beneath even the most seemingly impersonal household connections" and says the book is a "button-pushing, soon to be wildly popular novel". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said of the book, "This heartbreaking story is a stunning debut from a gifted talent".
The novel is Stockett's first. It took her five years to complete the book, which was rejected by 60 literary agents before agent Susan Ramer agreed to represent Stockett. The Help has since been published in 35 countries and three languages. As of August 2011, it has sold five million copies and has spent more than a 100 weeks on the The New York Times Best Seller list. (
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I loved this movie and it really made me reflect on my childhood. The film takes place in the early 1960's but some things hadn't changed even in the 1990's in the Deep South. This is when I was partially raised until I was around 7 years old by two African American maids, Emma & Gloria. My family treated them very well but they did wear uniforms and rode the bus to work. I asked my Mother not too long ago (before I ever heard about the book or movie) what happened to Emma & Gloria and why did she make them wear uniforms? Just like the movie my Mother told me they just quit one day without any explanation and that they preferred to wear uniforms.I know my parents treated them very well but maybe they left because of my brother. He was a little monster who threatened to have them fired if they didn't serve him ice cream for dinner when my parents were out. He would throw water balloons down the laundry chute and hit them on the head. Maybe it was something I did that I can't even write about because it's too embarrassing.
I still remember loving Emma & Gloria and how much I missed them when they were gone. They were a part of our family and I wish they knew how much I appreciate them now.
