just finished reading the book "the help" by kathryn stockett. to give you a bit of a background of what it is, here is an outline from wikipedia.com:
The novel is told from the perspective of three characters: Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson, an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.
it's one of the best novel i've read to date. although it's just a fiction, i assume that incidents detailed in this book happened in the south. i cannot say that i can relate to most of the stories here since i am not white nor black, but what i can relate to is how most families treat their "help".
my family is not rich nor poor. growing up, i consider myself part of the middle class. since both of my parents had to work, my siblings and i grew up with a "help" most of our childhood years. i can't remember how many we had but i always remember we always have one. names i can no longer remember but for some reason, we (my siblings and i) always remember one that stands out...manang julia. she was like part of the family growing up. always have a scary to tell us before we go to bed (just the way we like it).
Maybe next time you can tell us about the scary stories she used to tell you...
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