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Book Review of The Help

The Help
The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
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I read this book a few weeks before the movie came out and I am still struggling with my feelings about both. Is this book a good, fun, thoughtful read? Yes, the movie was the same. Yet I still struggle with the purpose and impact of both. The author and screenwriter are white people, and while I know that there is much of this book that is true to life, the story had to be white-washed and filtered through the lens of a "white savior" to be palatable to mainstream America. Yet, I like the way this book illustrates the ways that power, privilege, and oppression play out (still today) in race and gender relationships. I would love to see this book and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks discussed as a pair in a book club. Both books are well worth it.