This book has been creating a lot of buzz among readers and bloggers, and for good reason. It’s quite simply one of the better books I’ve read in awhile. Maybe not the best, but definitely up among the top ten.
Set in the early 1960s in Jackson Mississippi, the novel follows the daily lives of three women, two of them black servants.
There is Aibileen, who works for Miss Leefolt, a twenty-three year old budding society girl with a young toddler. Aibileen has spent her domestic career raising white children, and it’s no different in Miss Leefolt’s house as she is more of a mother to Mae Mobbley than Miss Leefolt is.
Then there is Minnie, a smart-mouthed mother of five with an abusive, drunken husband. Minnie has lost more jobs thanks to her sass than she cares to count.
Tying the story neatly together is budding journalist Skeeter who sees the civil rights injustices occurring around her and has the courage to fight back with the help of Aibileen, Minny and many of the other African American servants. Over a period of months, Skeeter chronicles these women’s stories, writing a book that is sure to offend most of Jackson’s upper crust society mavens, but it is a story that must be told.
Stockett herself grew up in Jackson Mississippi, raised by her family’s black maid, and so much of her novel rings true. But Stockett doesn’t just chronicle a dark time in America’s history and its treatment of the African American. No, Stockett’s true gift is in her ability to breathe life into her characters making them as real as you and I. The women’s stories are heartfelt, poignant, filled with terrible injustices as well as uplifting triumphs. These women’s lives are irrevocably intertwined, and much needed lessons are learned on both sides of the racial coin. A truly remarkable book.
Till next time, happy reading!
L :)
| TBR = 26 | WPL = 33 |
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