Review: The Help

How 60 some literary agents turned this book down prior to finding one who really loved it is totally beyond me.  It also proves just how subjective the world of publishing is.  This book chronicles the lives of African American maids in Mississippi during the 1960s along with the white women for whom and with whom they work.  First, there is the maid Aibileen who works for a woman who seemingly has no time or interest in her kids.  In fact, the kids are more likely early on to think of the maid as their mom.  Aibileen constantly worries about use of the in house bathroom at The Leefolts and making sure all the silver is present and accounted for whenever it is used.  Eventually, The Leefolts build a bathroom in the garage that is stictly for their maid and not to be used by any white person least of all the children.  I was struck by the love and adoration Aibileen had for the Leefolts children and how in her own way, she was trying to teach them to be more compassionate and openminded.

Then we meet the maid Minnie who is the most independent spirited of all the maids.  She does not suffer fools let me say that first and foremost.  Minnie works for an elderly woman and is known for her cooking abilities.  Unfortunately, she has a spectacular encounter with the elderly woman's daughter and loses her job.  She then lands a position working for Cecilia Foote who lives twenty minutes away and is shunned by all the other women because they think she is not from quality stock.  Mrs. Cecilia has a beautiful home, but has no clue how to cook and cannot build friendships in the area in order to socialize more.  The funniest portions of this book is Minnie attempting to teach Cecelia how to cook.  Ms. Cecilia is most accomodating of any of the white employers and  I think it is because she experiences the wrath of the white women's league almost as much as Minnie. 

Finally, there is Skeeter who grew up having a maid that she looked upon not only as a caretaker but also as a friend.  Unfortunately, while she's away at college, her mother fires this longtime maid and refuses to discuss the circumstances with Skeeter.  Skeeter speaks with Aibileen about the loss of Abilieen's son who was attempting to write about what it is like as a black man to work for a white man.  Skeeter then decides to secretly write a book about the same concept, but from the maids point of view.  This involves a lot of secret meetings at Aibileen's home.  Skeeter is the one white gal who sees the massive condescending attitudes displayed by her white friends toward the African American maids.  She even becomes shunned by her white friends who recognize her stance on equality and then eventually dismiss her from the women's league. 

This is a fabulous first book by Kathryn Stockett.  I am hoping she continues to write about each of these characters and what happens over the course of their lives in subsequent books.  I am looking forward to the moview version of this book coming out in August and I relish the fact that this author has had so much success after being turned down many times by literary agents before finally finding someone who truly appreciates and saw the value in her writing.