The Help

WARNING: Do not pick this book up unless you have nothing to do for a couple days! It's that good!

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is a book set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. The author herself grew up in Jackson, so she had some personal background with the material. This is her debut novel and I can't wait to see what she writes next. She was a fabulous writer. It was so refreshing to read something so well written!

There are 3 main characters in the book and there are sections written in each of their voices. The first is Aibleen, who is a 54 year old black maid. She recently lost her only son and it has affected her greatly. She works for a woman named Elizabeth who has a young girl. Aibleen is basically mother to Mae Mobley because Elizabeth could care less that her daughter is there. She's the consummate southern woman: plays bridge, is a member of The League, etc.

Elizabeth's friend, Skeeter, is another of the main characters. She is a graduate from Ole Miss with an English degree. She wants to be a journalist. She comes back to Jackson and is pretty much the only one who hasn't gotten married yet. She's quirky and awkward, but very loveable. Her maid, Constantine, raised her and mysteriously left when she was at college. Skeeter spends the entire novel trying to locate Constantine and find out the story about why she left.

The final character is Minny. She is hilarious! Definitely the comic relief in the story. Minny is another black maid, with 5 kids of her own. She was working for the mother of one of Skeeter and Elizabeth's friend--Hilly. But Hilly is the town's busy body and b*tch. Seriously, there's no other word to describe her. Hilly fires Minny after a big ta da that you don't find out about til the very end.

The plot of the book is woven around the idea of Skeeter writing a novel about the stories of these maids. She gets Aibleen and Minny to tell her their stories so people can see what life is like for a black woman in the south in 1962. Obviously, this is in the heat of the civil rights movement. It is poignant, sad and makes you think about your own prejudices and the plight of suppressed people everywhere.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I'm on a Roll!

I haven't blogged on this blog in a long time, so scroll down to see what I have read lately.

On a friend's blog a couple weeks ago, she asked for recommendations for a picture book. Here is one of my all time favorites.

King Bidgood's in the Bathtub is written by Don and Audrey Wood. I think my mentor teacher, Shenla Jones, introduced me to it. The illustrations are fantastic (which is why it won an award!) and it's a predictable book, which is always good for the young ones.

Kate and Clark come over and I watch them while Jel does her lessons. We play, eat, sing songs and of course read books. King Bidgood is one of their favorites. One day, we decided to be King Bidgood ourselves.

I put pillows in the bathtub and they played in it for a while. Then they went and got books and had quiet reading time in there. I'd say this is one cool reading corner!

The Bonesetter's Daughter

I loved The Joy Luck Club when I read it in high school (don't ask me what's it's about now because I can't remember!). So, when I saw this one at a used book sale, I thought I'd give it a chance. I started reading it probably over a year ago, but never got past the first chapter. It went back on my shelf until just a week or so ago.

After we moved into this new house, we couldn't get reception for the TV on our digital antennae. It was a real bummer because we had gone so long without dish or cable, and I was glad. Well, we had to do something, otherwise we would have had no TV. So we got cable. And I hate it! I waste so much time watching total trash like "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Seriously, I have way better things to do with my time. One night there was nothing on, so I turned off the TV and went into the office. There I saw this book on the shelf and thought I'd give it another try. I'm glad I did.

The first part of the book is set in current day San Francisco. Ruth is the daughter of a woman who came over from China as an adult. Ruth resented the fact that her mother didn't speak very good English and really didn't get along with her mother at all. She discovers that her mom has Alzheimer's and it really shakes her world. She remembers a pile of papers that Ruth's mother had given her, all written in Chinese characters. She gives the papers to a professor to have it translated.

The second part of the book is the words from those papers. It's Ruth's mother's story told in her own words about what her life was before she came to America. This was the best part of the book. I am fascinated with Asian culture and I really know so little about Asian history. It's quite sad. After reading The Last Empress I wanted to know more, but I hate to admit I still haven't learned much!

Ruth comes to understand and love her mother so much more after reading her life story. I thought to myself, how would reading my mom's journals help me understand her better? Would I love her more? (Would she let me read them while she's still alive?) I know my mom has written many journals, so I hope someday I do get to see a part of her life that I wouldn't have otherwise.

The book ends with Ruth putting her mom in an assisted living place, but it really is a happy ending. I highly recommend this book.

The Wedding

The Wedding by Julie Garwood, was another romance novel. (Not the Danielle Steel kind, more like a romance comedy). I borrowed this book from my mom actually. After reading The Chocolate Lovers' Club, I had stopped reading for a while and really wanted something quick and easy to read.

This was a perfect book for that. It's not the world's greatest literature, but it was interesting and captivating. Set in Scotland in the 11th Century, the setting provided a lot of interest in the book. I've always loved books set in the Middle Ages, and this was no exception. I have no idea how accurate the portrayal of the times was (probably not very), but I didn't really care.

It's a love story between 2 unlikely people, but they end up being a perfect match for each other. The romance was a little mushy, but not explicit (again, an improvement from the Chocolate Lovers' Club). It's your typical romantic comedy, where they fight and hate each other at the beginning. Lots of misunderstandings cause problems, but in the end, everything works out.

If you're looking for a cheap, easy romance to read, I would recommend this one!

The Chocolate Lovers' Club

I read this book forever ago, but just never got around to posting about it. Maybe that's because it wasn't my all time favorite book. It was ok, a very easy read, but not really my cup of tea. I've never seen Sex in the City, but as I read this book, I felt like it was a British version of Sex in the City. (Take that for what it's worth). There are 5 Brits who become friends through their mutual love of chocolate. I love chocolate myself, but not enough to go to an expensive chocolate shop and eat it all the time with my friends.

I guess that's why this book was hard for me; I couldn't relate to a single character. Not one. I don't think it was because they were Brits (actually, there was one American, but she lived there, so whatever!). Anyway, the book is basically about each of their problems and how they help each other deal with them. There's romance, infidelity, comedy, drama, etc. all throughout the book. Even though there was a lot going on, it wasn't like I was dying to find out what happened next.

If Sex in the City is your thing and you like lots of romance and drama, read this book. If not--don't waste your time!