At first I wasn't sure if i would like this book. Its definitely enjoyable and hope they didn't change too much in the movie. ( )

File under: white people solve racism. Yuck. ( )

Here's what I wrote in 2012 about this read: "A good read; Katie's Christmas gift to MGA. The movie that premiered in 2011 followed the book closely. Both provided good insights re the relationships between white women and black women in the south in the 1940's - 1960's. ( )

This is a 5-star read, whether you've seen the movie or not. The movie was great, but the book actually had me chuckling through some things I don't remember being in the movie. The writer is definitely gifted with a sense of humor. At the same time, I do believe whites, especially back then in the 60's, when racial tensions were at an all-time high, thought pretty highly of themselves and were very hypocritical in their acts and daily walk with God, which you will also see in the story.

The other thing I weirdly loved was the fact that the maids had certain days they did certain chores, that way everything got done each week...the dusting, bedding, wash day, shining the silver and the ironing, and on Fridays extra cooking to tie them over the weekend. I've really been overwhelmed with so much filth in my house lately and not even knowing where to start. I'm encouraged to create a weekly household chore to-do list, myself.

It is heart-breaking to be outcasted from a group...I should know. I have had my own experience during my high school years and beyond. The only thing that ever helped was to either stop attending things where I knew these girls hung out, or move away. That's exactly what Skeeter, a striving journalist, finally did. I never would have continued to be editor of the mean-girls organization after the way the her"friends" were treating her. I would not have given them the chance to humiliate me by voting and choosing a new editor right in front of me like they did Skeeter. In the end, Skeeter did accept an editors job in New York. That was her ticket out of po-dunk Mississippi and onto bigger and better things.

Of course, Minnie was the funniest character in the story, but my favorite was Aibileen. I love Aibileen's perspective on life. How she can love and cherish other people's children, even when she can hardly stand the parents. Everyday she would tell poor fat, ugly little Mae Mobley how smart, pretty, and kind she was, hoping these good thoughts would stick with her as she grew up, even though her mother, Elizabeth, did nothing but scream, hollar and spank, or ignored her most of the time because she was just too "busy" socializing with all her high falluting friends.

Aibileen lived her whole life raising white people's children trying to bridge that racial divide. But, she never stayed onto one family too long. By the time the children would reach a certain age, they began to treat her like the patents treated her, so she would move on. It's amazing she didn't have all this built up hate against all whites for the way they handled her one and only son's death by dumping him off on the street in front of the black hospital after he was hurt at his job. But, her believe in God was very strong, and instead of saying her prayers out loud every night, she wrote them down in a notebook. This writing ended up being a blessing because she was then able to write perfectly her story and help Skeeter with the other maid's stories for the book, which she would be very proud of, and would be rewarded for financially and end up with Skeeter's job at the local newspaper.

Hilly was the ring-leader of all evil pertaining to blacks in their little town in Jackson, Mississippi. It's never enough to have these kinds of people just hate you, but they want to see you destroyed, and they don't stop until you actually fight back or move away. If you fight back, it better be good and well thought out so it ends all rivalry instead of adding to the fuel. Minnie added her story of putting her poop in Hilly's chocolate pie, and Hilly loving it so much, she actually ate two slices, as insurance that the stories from the other maids won't backfire on them and they all end up losing their jobs or worse, lied about and sent to jail like a few others they know about. Since all names in the book and the name of the town had been changed for added protection, Hilly would never fess up to such a thing. ( )

I am not sure what took me so long to read this book, but I finished it in 2 days. This was a touching, thought-provoking, unforgettable book for sure.

I don't even know what to say... ( )