I have to be very pointed in how I state this, because little comparison can be made between the late, great Howard Zinn and Kathrynn Stocket’s new book The Help. But, if a comparison can be made, and obviously that is what I am doing, it’s in the perspective of the novel in that she often writes from the less empowered group of characters.
The Help focuses on a time when the civil rights movement was on the front page of every newspaper, even papers published in towns where civil rights was not even remotely welcome. Taking place in Jackson, Mississippi, Stockett utilizes a writing style of which I am growing very bored where she changes the narrator form chapter to chapter, allowing her to offer multiple perspectives. Although she writes from the point of view of several white, female protagonists, she focusses primarily on Skeeter.
A recent graduate of college, Skeeter returns home with her B.S. but not her Mrs., much to the dismay of hr friends and mother. Instead, she wants to put her degree and brain to use in *gasp* a job. While floundering around in life, her eyes are being opened to the civil rights movement and she becomes increasingly aware of the plight of black people. All while black people are working as servants in her family and friends’ homes.
Two of the other dominant narrators of The Help are Aibileen and Minny, two black housemaids who work in the homes of white residents of Jackson. Through their eyes, we are exposed to the real life issues that black people are confronting, particularly when they reside that uncomfortable place of intimate and hired help.
I can make jabs at Stockett’s choice of writing style, but the fact of the matter is I loved this book. I raced through it to completion and would recommend it for anyone!
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