The Help

by Kathryn Stockett
Scott County Library audiobook 15 CDs
read by: Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, and Cassandra Campbell
genre: historical fiction

I'm shocked that I don't have an entry for this book! I read it several years ago. I remember being stunned that it was written by a white woman. Then I saw the movie. Amazing! I picked up this audiobook because I spend a lot of time driving and was ready for a re-read.

Despite the controversy surrounding the money the author made without credit / money going to the woman who was the inspiration for her story, I appreciate the work Stockett put into this novel. The characters are vivid and believable. The vocal work is impeccable as Minnie, Abilene, Skeeter, and others are brought to life. This story also made me think again about the racism that still thrives in America, even though it's not like it was in the early 60s. Mississippi in the news then and now . . . with monuments to Emmett Till regularly being destroyed. So incredibly sad.

Just like when I first read the text, I wished the story had brought Minnie and her kids to live with Celia and Johnny . . .