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Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Help by Karen Stockett


Summary from Novelist Plus: Limited and persecuted by racial divides in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, three women, including an African-American maid, her sassy and chronically unemployed friend, and a recently graduated white woman, team up for a clandestine project.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have heard rave reviews for this book- perfect for the our next selection.

Madge said...

I listened to the audio version of this book while commuting and never wanted to get out of my car! This is one of my favorites of the year. The narrators had gentle southern accents, and they really brought the story to life.

The story takes place during an important time in our country's history. I think it would generate a lot of healthy discussion for both teens and adults.

My only problem is that I love both this book and Guernsey... so hard to choose :)

Joyce said...

I have had at least two patrons tell me that they loved this book and were very excited that it made the RARI List. It is highly readable and a compelling story. There were times that it was too predictable, and the characters were either too wonderful or too evil. An important time in history I agree, but other novels such as Freshwater Road by Denise Nicholas have spoken more powerfully.

Linda Crotta Brennan said...

this book is a strong contender--I found it very readable and engrossing. It has plenty of discussion points for a book group. I just worry that it will appeal mainly to women.

Pam said...

I loved this book and think it offers many opportunities for discussion. My book group read it and every single person absolutely loved it. That doesn't happen often. I think The Help would be an excellent RARI choice.

Justine Karmozyn said...

I am enjoying this book more than any book I have read in a long time and there certainly are some very strong contenders on the selection list this year. I am not sure that the general population is aware of the day-to-day risks that people took during the Civil Rights era to even speak about the most fundamental of truths. This book reminds us of the courage that people took to speak up for what was right. Living in New England, we now take it for granted that everyone is treated equally and with respect, but it was such a short time ago in history that segregation was legal. The character development is so rich that you become friends with people like Skeeter and Abileen as you are reading the novel. This is my top pick out of the books on the list.

colleen said...

This book left me wanting more. I hated for this book to end. Wonderful story, I was so interested in the characters. This book would create the kind of excitment that "Water for Elephants" created. I actually can't think of a better choice for RARI, especially if the point is to get as many people as possible interested in reading. This is a wonderful book. This would be a great choice high school students with some very important history lessons taught, lessons that are also so important for today.

This book deserves all the press it has received. This book would be my first choice.

dlafrenaye said...

I love this book...the weaving of 1960's events and the stories of the "help"...wow! Students would easily be engaged with this selection. This would make a great RARI selection! So far my pick...

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Anonymous said...

I love this book so much that I was mad that it ended. Isn't that crazy? First book I read in along time that has made me feel that way!

Lisa said...

A friend let me borrow her copy of The Help. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. But I also didn't want the book to end. I fell in love with the characters, except Miss Hilly of course,and I am hoping there will be a sequel or second novel soon. Hard to believe The Help was the author's first novel. Ms. Stockett I hope you are writing away at this moment because your fans are waiting with bated breath. Don't keep us waiting too long.