The Help and Hope

It was one of the big publishing success stories for 2009—how the author of The Help launched her debut novel to the top of the charts and stayed there. As mentioned in a previous post, my sister-in-law gave me a copy for Christmas last year, but only this week did I finally have a chance to read it. Turns out it's been a publishing success story in 2010, too.

I have little to add to what's already been said about a book that’s been reviewed 2,800+ times on Amazon and today still sits on the top-twenty list. So I’ll keep it short.

The story begins in 1962 when a college grad returns to Jackson, Mississippi, and wants to write. A New York publishing exec counsels her to write what disturbs her. So she collects the stories of black women cleaning homes and cooking and, really, raising kids for rich, Southern white women.

Publisher’s Weekly described the book as being “full of heart and history.” I would add one more “h” word—hope. The south still has plenty of room for improvement on the racism issue, but we’ve come a long way, baby, in the past fifty years.

If you like edutainment through the vehicle of story, add this one to your Christmas list.