The other day I started reading THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett, after a friend recommended it. I'm about halfway through, and it's great! It's about Southern women (from Jackson, Mississippi, to be precise) in the sixties and their relationships with their black maids.
Well, my family never had a maid while I was growing up, but I remember one family on my street did. I always thought it'd be kind of strange to have someone in the house who wasn't family--someone who would clean up your messes for you. In my house, we always had to clean up our own messes. :-)
In any case, I've always enjoyed reading about African American culture. In high school I did a term paper on "Black Literature," and had my eyes opened to a host of authors I'd never read before (and I'll bet most of my classmates hadn't read, either). I had my eyes opened to urban life, a far cry from the life I knew as a suburban white kid.
Maybe that's why I enjoy those Tyler Perry movies so much--because, to the best of my knowledge, he is accurately portraying a culture he loves and respects. And while it's a bit different from my own, I can respect it, too.
Anyway, read THE HELP. I think you'll enjoy it.
~~Angie
2 comments:
I finished The Help this weekend and was so impressed on how the author handled such a delicate topic with compassion. It was a fascinating read!
I will add this to my list. My mother-inlaw, lives in LA and has had the same Mexican housekeeper for 50 years. They are both in their 80's now. Theresa is a sweetheart. I have never understood why she ate breakfast with us in the kitchen but never sat down with us for dinner in the dining room. Very awkward. I would rather visit her than MIL.
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