Lyn Reviews Author Kathryn Stockett’s The Help
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Help reminds us how much life changed after Martin Luther King’s March on Washington in 1963. Though pockets of racism still fester in America, our society has shifted away from being officially divided by color. I think it’s important that books such as The Help that remind us this wasn’t always the case be read. A few time when I’ve portrayed racism in my historical novels, editors have tried to cut these scenes out, one actually suggesting that to portray racism was endorsing it. What? If we don’t study the past, we deny the truth. It’s like the leader of Iran saying that the Holocaust didn’t take place. It’s a lie.
Anyway, I found myself tense as I read this intense book. I loved the characters. I felt sorry for Miss Hilly who didn’t realize she was building her own prison. A woman who wants to CONTROL everyone around her, creates her own hell. I’ve seen the sick desire to control all destroy people in my life. God should be in control; that’s the way to joy and peace.
This book is a must read especially for those who didn’t live through the 1960’s.
