My Honest Opinion: "The Help"

So, I finished "The Help" last night.

And a book this compelling deserves to be talked about.

While the memories are still fresh and the characters are still my friends.

Which is why I am totally skipping a Helpful How-To today.

For those of you with OCD, I am sincerely apologetic that I would throw your week of this way.

For those of you who don't know or care that it's Wednesday and not Thursday, bless your little hearts....

So.

The Help.

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I loved it.

Every minute of it.

Until the last 5 minutes of it.

When I cried and cried and cried and cried.

Because it was over.

Because it wasn't what I expected at all.

And because in a way, it was better than what I expected.

And worse.

Bittersweet.

And honest.

Let me back up a bit.

Let me start by saying, if you have deep Southern roots, you are going to LOVE/HATE this book.

The depiction of Southern-ness - at its very best and worst - is coated in every line of this book.

Kathryn Stockett very poignantly points out the flaws in a privileged, white-ruled society while portraying a beautiful fighting strength that these women - ALL OF THESE WOMEN - carried within them.

All the major players in this book believed in something - right or wrong - and was willing to fight for it. 

Good, Bad, or Ugly.

I can think of no better way to describe Southern women than as that right there - fighter's.

But I digress.

Most importantly, the book portrays a beautiful friendship that develops between 3 very unlikely women - separated by age, and lifestyle, and most importantly - color.

If you want to laugh, this book will do it. A-PLENTY.

If you want to fall in love, that will probably happen too.

If you want to cry, bank on that happening.  ALOT.

If you want a happy ending, you are going to have to look beyond the forest for the trees.

My initial knee-jerk reaction was, "What a terrible way to end!"

Until my girlfriend said, "Um, what were you expecting?  Things to stay the SAME???"

And she's right. 

The worst thing that could ever happen in this book would have been for things to stay the SAME.

All in all, it's worth your time.

But be prepared for a drastic change in perspective. 

And a deep-seated desire to get out of your bubble and DO SOMETHING.

“The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.”
-Ben Herbster

Gee whiz.

I can't wait to see how the movie plays out....

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Now get to reading!