Amateur Reader

Yes, I know it is the middle of the month. Give a gal a break.

What I read in August:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Kids are All Right by the Welch children.

First, The Help.

The Help has long been on my list - from various good ratings on GoodReads, a great interview with Diane Rehm, and a mention from Scott's cousin last year. I finally put it on hold at the library and am so glad I did.

To answer my friend Allison's voice-mail (also a day late and a dollar short), yes, I would definitely recommend this for book club. I would have loved to discuss this with others! I'll start my review with my favorite quote from the book:

“In the kitchen I fix some grits without no seasoning, and put them baby marshmallows on top. I toast the whole thing to make it a little crunchy. Then I garnish it with a cut-up strawberry. That’s all a grit is, a vehicle. For whatever it is you rather be eating.”

I think this quote is a great presentation of Stockett. She has a few different narrators, all female, but at opposite ends of the southern spectrum at the height of the civil rights movement in the Sixties. One is a single, white, young adult (Skeeter) and the others are older black maids (Minny and Aibileen). The premise is as follows: Skeeter, restless upon college graduation and subsequent unemployment (all resulting in living back home with her parents), approaches Aibileen about helping her write a book. An anonymous book filled with stories from black maids about their experience with various white families, and especially their relationship with their white female employers. Some stories are terrible - always getting blamed for stealing, raising and loving children who are taught to hate these women, etc. However, most are uplifting - most white women realize that couldn't do a think without their help. That their maids are in actuality their cornerstone, their confidants, and a true friend. This anonymous book is a vehicle for their emotions - the stories flow from these women like the milk and honey Moses received in the desert. Some of the stories are topped with ugly, decaying moldy bread; others with the aforementioned marshmallow and strawberries (and a crunch. Every story has a bite to it, to be sure). Each one has it's own flavor and texture. Each woman has her own, unique voice. It is a beautiful story with wonderful characters. Kudos to you, Stockett, for a job well done.

Next, The Kids are All Right

It was okay. I adored Diane Rehm's interview with the all of the kids (another Diane-inspired pick), so decided to see it all for myself. Their story is a sad one - father dies suddenly, leaving his widow with 4 young kids (5 to 16, roughly). Not only does his surprising death send them into a tailspin, but he left them with loads of debt; and they only come to discover that their mother has cancer. She also dies after barely surviving many invasive treatments, leaving them (for all intents and purposes) orphans a few years later. This book captures their look back on those years and beyond, with sections written by each child. It is interesting to look at how the same memories differ, and how each child deals with the situations before them in their very unique and individual way. Liz and Diana are writers by trade, so their portions are more lengthy and better written, but not stellar. It is a quick read, and I am on a huge memoir kick right now, so I liked it well enough. Two stars. If you're running out of things to read, love the eighties and the upper class society of New England, then this your book. If not, listen to the interview. It is a riot.

Happy reading! I've picked up two memoirs again for this month, so be prepared.