The Help - Kathryn Stockett

"Everyone knows how we white people feel, the glorified Mammy figure who dedicates her whole life to a white family. Margaret Mitchell covered that. But no one ever asked Mammy how she felt about it."

For two years I had read and heard that "The Help" was a must-read novel, and after reading it for myself, I have to agree. Kathryn Stockett's first published book transports the reader into a world that those of my generation and location have only heard about. The tension and the humor of this story work well together to take you right into the heart of Mississippi in the 1960's.

On the surface, this is a story of a white woman wanting to write a book to prove she can, but "The Help" is a coming-of-age tale not only for that white woman (Skeeter) but also for 'the help' (Abilene and Minny). The characters in this novel are so vividly drawn that we not only get to know them, we want them to be in our world. The heartache they endure, the courage and the strength that they demonstrate, create a fully developed story that is hard to put down.

At times hard to read, because it is so vivid in describing a racist world that I have only heard about, the book is at one moment heartwrenching and the next moment heartwarming. It is definitely a "must-read" book, and now is the best time to do so - the movie based on the story is set to be released in August 12.