Inky's Choice: The Help, A Book Review by Taiwo
This week Inky's Choice is a book review by Taiwo, of The Help. Taiwo had fantastic insight into the book and wrote a lovely piece about acceptance and friendship.
There are spoilers, so if you want to keep it a surprise, best look away and just read the last two paragraphs!
Enter a vanished world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children.
The main character of this book is, Aibileen, Minny, and Miss Skeeter. Aibileen raising seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death. Minny, who is are cook, is nearly as sassy as her tongue and there is Miss Skeeter who is white, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid had disappeared. Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would belive they'd be friends, fewer still wold not tolerate a white and a black being friends, but each woman comes to depend on each other.
Aibileen is a black woman who works as a maid for Elizabeth Leefolt, Aibileen is stoic and strong, and she knows her place, but she understands what the ladies she works for are all about. Aibileen views of Mrs Leefolt and her friends are sadly disconnected from their children lives. She does her best to treat them with kindness and secretly teach them, that colour should not matter. But she overhears the ladies conversation lately, about focussing on separate restroom for the coloured, and she knows that been colour still makes a differences.
After they finished social gathering at Leefolts home', Skeeter stops to say hello to Aibileen and asks her if she's really okay with the way things are, or if she wants things to change. Aibileen responds was that things are all right, but she can't stop thinking about Skeeter’s question. But as Aibileen thinks about women in her life other strong black women who work hard only to be treated like dogs she begins to change her mind.
Aibileen is warms up to the idea that change just might be possible, as Skeeter believes it is a great way to launch on her career as a writer. Also wondering what happen to the maid that raised her, she decided it about time someone tells the story of what it like working for white women. She asks Aibileen to tell her the truth about working for white women, it took some times for Aibileen to get on board, but when she did she was ready to talk.
Aibileen and Skeeter had a difficult time finding women who are willing to talk openly about their experiences because so much is at stake. If people find out, the black women's jobs, even their life would be in jeopardy, and Skeeter risks losing her friends and her career. One of Aibileen great friend has decided to help out Minny.
Not one to keep her mouth shut, Minny, Minny has been fired from her job more than once. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter are unlikely trio, but their work on the book unites them and proves to them that women can connect regardless of their colour. As they collect stories from more people. Skeeter, Minny and Aibileen are really affected about what they have been hearing.
Finally they finish the book. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter hope that their book will be published and hopes it would change things in Jackson, Mississippi and sell all around the world. The book called 'The Help' did sell around the world, but didn’t change much in Jackson. Skeeter moves to New York continue her career as a writer, Minny moved to someone else, and Aibileen got fired for her job and left Jackson, Mississppi.
The book called 'the help' isn't all about how black women were treated badly, but it also about accepting each other and know that it didn't matter if you are coloured you are still human.
The help is a good book because it helps people to understand coloured doesn't really matter, what matter is what is in the inside.
By Taiwo
The end
