52 {Books} in 52: The Help

I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett over the summer before the movie came out. This just goes to show you how behind I am in updating my book list on here. I won't go into the plot details because I'm sure most people have either read the book or seen the movie by now. And if not, I'm sure everyone knows what the book is about. Instead, I will just share my thoughts.

I first heard about this book through my friend Lauren. She said it was a good and thought-provoking read. She was right. The story transports you to 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, a time when blacks and whites were separated and any talk of equality was ignored or shut down. Through the story you get to walk in the shoes of a privileged white woman and of the black women who work as maids. You learn about love, entitlements, classism, racism, loyalty, and fear. You see the world as gray, boundaries as rigid, and connections that today you wouldn't bat at eye at. The story is compelling and eye opening. The characters are richly developed and the transformation they go through is both small and monumental. In the end, the book leaves you in awe of the women who fought for something they felt was right despite all the signs that said it was wrong and despite all they could lose. The biggest lesson of the book is that sometimes you need to speak up to bring awareness, even if that voice remains anonymous. Change won't happen unless someone takes a leap of faith.

Here's what I've read for my 52 {Books} in 52 challenge:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
5. Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace by Ayelet Waldman
6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
7. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
8.  Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenenfelder
9.  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
10. Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
12. Best Day of Someone Else's Life by Kerry Reichs
13. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
14. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
15. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
16. The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
17. Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
18. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
19.  The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
20.  Bossypants by Tina Fey
21. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
22. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
23. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré
24. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
25. Maze Runner by James Dashner
26. Now You See Me by S.J. Bolton
27. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
28. The Help by Kathryn Stockett