“The Help” is an aspiring novel set in the 1960s during the upheaval of the civil rights movement. The story follows the lives of three main characters: Aibileen, Minny and Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan.
All three women live in Jacksonville, Mississippi. Skeeter is a white woman living at home with her overbearing mother, and both Minny and Aibileen are black maids working in the households of influential white women in the Jackson League.
They come together in an unusual way. Skeeter, who is trying to be a writer, enlists the help of Aibileen and Minny to write a book. Included in this book is information about the living and working conditions of black maids in white households at a time when this is more than just dangerous: it’s deadly.
This book is one of many novels that have been adapted for the big screen, and while the movie has garnered international fame, most prefer the novel because it contains so much more information than the movie.
“I loved the book,” senior Morgan Glemser said. “It was really good!”
This novel is truly astounding in its detail of everyday life for all three women. The truths that are told with such simplicity are easily understood across generations.
“The Help” can be found in the high school library in a hard copy.
