The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Caroline Robbins was right. The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a wonderful read. From the first page you are drawn into life in Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Told in three alternating voices, The Help explores the relationships between white women and their African American maids. Miss Skeeter is 22 years old, a college graduate living at home. Unlike her friends, she wants a life beyond wife and mother. Thanks to Constantine, the maid who raised her, she sees with her heart, the color of one's skin doesn't matter. Aibileen is a black maid who has helped raise 17 children. Her only son was killed in a work accident when little was done by his bosses to help save his life. Loving and smart, Aibileen understands the dynamics of being black in the south and is ready to shake things up. Aibileen's best friend Minny is the third narrator. Married with five kids and an abusive husband, Minny has been blacklisted by the women of Jackson - she steals, she talks back, she is disrespectful. Not all of it true, Minny eventually finds work with Miss Celia and realizes that Skeeter is colorblind and on her side.