"The Help" by Katryn Stockett

On June 10, we met to discuss

Kathryn Stockett's first novel "The Help". There were 8 present. Those who managed to make it were Susie, Nancy, Madeleine, Diana, Julie, Sarah, Donna and Nettie. Since we had not seen each other practically all summer it was fun to meet and catch up and hear all the new things happening to us. Some good some bad.

We had all read the book and some had read it

twice. We agreed it was one that was compelling

to read and impossible to put down once started.

What a fabulous 1st novel, how can this author

even hope to come close on her next try.

Some of the things discussed were of course

the nasty prejudice of the south and the fact that

these things were occurring in the 1960's. Some

reminisced on segregation at the Riviera club and

the swimming pools in Columbus, Ohio. We laughed

at the fact that these black maids were clean enough to

feed a white family but not clean enough to use their

bathrooms. Nancy said the southern folk regarded

blacks as property rather than humans. The black

deacon of the church said "Mississippi and the real world are

2 different places". How true.

We enjoyed the storytelling from all the maids' points of

view and wished we could have listened, instead

of read the book it as it would have been an enhancement.

It was sad, it was amusing and the characters were

unforgettable. Some topics of brief discussion included

the dubious contents of Minny's chocolate pies,

skeeter's first date and her mentoring from the

very tough New York editor.

Next book chosen by Diana is "Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven" by

Susan Jane Gilman. It is a story of two young backpackers who go to

China just as it was opening up to the West and they run into a lot

of unforseen adventures. It sounds like fun and I immediately

by accident bought it on my Kindle. The next meeting was scheduled for July 15th.