The Help

Just finished reading The Help. I’ve been on a reading binge during my two-week break. It has been so nice to not have any textbooks making me feel guilty for reading other goodies. My mom read The Help a few weeks ago and told me I had to read. My friend Sarah Heldman has been telling me for months to read it. Then, Cristin Kirbo confirmed my need to read it as well. With all these recommendations, I thought I would give it a try! Not to mention, I wanted to have it read by the movie’s release date this Wednesday.

The book ended up being great! It was very different than my normal reads, but different in a good way. It is hard for me to believe that it was Kathryn Stockett’s first novel- Bravo, Kathryn! The book is written from three different perspectives- one White young woman and two Black maids. I loved the different dynamics the three perspectives provided. Plus, I never got bored. Other than the books themes of racism and equality, the book offers unique insight into friendships and loyalty. Just as my mom and friends recommended the book to me, I recommend it to all of you! Read it- you won’t regret it!

The Help got me thinking about my childhood and our Black housekeeper named Gene. Oh the good memories of Gene I have! She made the best grilled cheeses in the world- no contest. There is really no telling how many of her grilled cheeses I ate in my younger years. I’m sure she had to have gotten tired of making them. Gene worked for my mother’s parents for several years, starting when my mom was about 12 years old. She moved on from there to help my Aunt Kathy with her three children, and then she helped my parents with my brother, my sister, and I. We were three energetic kids 5 years old and under. Needless to say, my parents and Gene had their hands full. A funny memory I have is when we all had chicken pox at the same time (not the funny memory), and Gene had the old remedy of putting cornstarch on us to relieve the itching. Well, one of those itchy days when my cornstarch had worn off, sweet little me walked up to Gene scratching everywhere and asked, “Mama Gene, will you please put some more creamed corn on me?”  Apparently, Mom and Gene died laughing and never forgot it. A quote from the book states, “They say it’s like true love, good help. You only get one in a lifetime.” This stuck with me because it made me think of the love and appreciation we had and still have for Gene. My mom even said the other day how bad she wishes Abigail could have someone in her life like Mama Gene. These days, so many parents have babysitters and housekeepers to help with raising their children because of work or other life commitments. Because of this, I think so many people can relate to the book, even though the times are very different.