Going back to the pre-civil rights era in the deep South, the reader is privy to the inside information about white families who hire black maids to clean their homes, cook their meals, and bring up their children. Yes, we all remember the struggles of Medgar Evers, the dedication of Martin Luther King, the three little girls who died in a black church that was burned down by white racists, and, of course, Rosa Parks.

We knew about those people because the press covered their every move and made them symbols of the civil rights movement, and the courage of those people was what began the movement to make all people equal.

The three women in “The Help” represent those who did not seek or want attention from the outside world and, in fact, feared it. They were frightened, but they did what they had to do to protect their families, and they did it willingly and with appreciation for the small salary they received in return. They were real unrecognized heroes of the day, and it is about time that their lives are exposed.

One of the most charming things about this author is that she did not hesitate to use the language of the black south, and she revealed through her Character's words what went on behind the gated walls and columned entry ways of the houses in which they spent years of their lives, sometimes having to neglect their own families to do so.

This book is a work of fiction based on the true story of racism, and the evils of class distinction and special privilege for the wealthy not balanced by any privilege for the poor who served them so well and for so long. The characters in “The Help” are not necessarily real people, but they are real in the fact that this is exactly how the differences in race and status affected both the black maids and the white socialites. It's not a pretty story, but it contains humor, and the humanity of a writer who definitely knows her subject and has the talent to convey her knowledge to us, the readers.

I won't spoil the story for you by saying any more, but I urge you to read this collection of experiences, and remember that that time in the south was not so far back. We have come a long way since then, and we still have a way to go.

Written by Litera Scripta