Hello fellow social workers,
I have done lots of great summer reading at the beach this year and my favourite book was The Help written by Kathryn Stockett. Yup, this is the one that just became a movie (I haven't seen it yet, but by the time it comes to Invermere, I will probably have rented it!).
The book is set in the 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi and looks at
the way African-American household workers were treated by their employers. The issues of race, poverty, relationship violence and civil rights are all parts of this book. I was drawn into the different characters, and the lives they navigated during this volatile time in Mississippi's history. There are some wonderful scenes of humour that show us that even in dark places, there is the possibility of light.
An interesting fact about this book is that the author was rejected by 60 agents before someone agreed to publish it! After selling 5 million copies, it it is testament to doing what you believe in and the power of a dream.
Maybe someone else has read it - tell me what you thought!
Fiona :)
2 comments:
Hi Fiona,
I just started reading it...I will comment soon...thanks for posting.
Hi you two - I first read listened to this book on tape last year and reread it this summer. I loved the characters written with such depth and courage! Can you imagine how difficult it would have been for any of the characters to do what they did in the south of the 60's?
I found the mothering of the white children by these black women who weren't good enough to use the family toilet, very moving. Such love and generosity in the face of such oppression.
Thanks for you comments Fiona!
Deb
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