Here are some questions for first book- The Help. Feel free to add comments and questions of your own.
1. Who was your favorite character? Why?
2. How much of a person’s character do you think is shaped by the times in which they live?
3. Do you think Minny was justified in her distrust of white people?
4. Do you think that had Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, that Mae Mobley would have grown up to be racist like her mother? Do you think racism is inherent, or taught?
5. From the perspective of a 21st century reader, the hair shellac system that Skeeter undergoes seems ludicrous. Yet women still alter their looks in rather peculiar ways as the definition of “beauty” changes with the times. Looking back on your past, what’s the most ridiculous beauty regimen you ever underwent?
6. The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom about her. How do you think she does this?
7. Do you think there are still vestiges of racism in relationships where people of color work for people who are white? Have you heard stories of someone who put away their valuable jewelry before their nanny comes – so they trust this person to look after their child, but not their diamond rings?
8. What did you think about Minny’s pie for Miss Hilly? Would you have gone as far as Minny did for revenge?
9 comments:
Okay, you guys seem way ahead of me. I'm just going out to get the book today. Is their a deadline for when we should have read this? Or when we are going to move onto the next book?
That's one of the things we need to figure out. I knew some people have already read this book so I was trying to get a head start. The questions are from the website readinggroupguides.com.
When we get this rolling, we'll do a book per month.
When should we move to the next book??
How about we switch on the first of every month to keep it easy. That will give everyone about 1.5 months for the first book and then 1 month for each book after that.
I agree with the 1.5 months for the first book. I likeswitchingat thefirst of the month too.
Hey, does everyone know everyone already? Should we introduce each other too?
I got the book and am liking the first chapter.
Okay- let's switch at the beginning of the month- that makes things easier to remember. So The Help goes until Feb 28 and on March 1 we'll start working on Sarah's Key.
We don't all know each other- but everyone knows either me or Jessica (and a couple fellow Block-heads know both of us)
We need to figure out how to make a members section so it doesn't get lost in the book blog part. Then we can put introductions in there.
I really liked this book a lot. My favorite character was Abileen. She did have a lot of quiet grace, but also alot of courage. A lot of people at her church relied upon her. Once she decided to do the book with Skeeter she was all in. I liked how she told Skeeter to go to New York for that job. She told Skeeter the truth, with love... That Skeeter couldn't do anything about the racist actions that were to come and that skeeter had no friends left. I also liked how Skeeter took care of Abileen by helping her getthe newspaper column job. These two charachtetrs crossed the colof line in a totally believeable way.
That's all for now. What did you think?
I finally finished this book and did enjoy it!
I certainly think a person’s character is shaped by the times in which they live, BUT that once an adult, we have all kinds of opportunities to overcome those early influences.
I loved Aibileen--she was able to be her real self and model her values to the children, while living within the rules of 'the mistress'.
Laurel
I read this book last summer and was unable to read it again, but I will still post my comments. My favorite character was Skeeter. I think we saw a transformation of her character as the book progressed. She refused to conform to the same ideals as her "friends".
I detested Ms. Hilly. I understand that her behaviors were probably normal and acceptable during the 1960s, but she was a horrible person (by today's standards). After the way she treated Minny, I feel that she deserved every bite of her special pie.
I enjoyed the interactions between Minny and Ms. Celia. Minny cared for Ms. Celia in a motherly way, which projected Minny in a different light.
After reading this I am so glad that I did not live in the South during the 1960s. However, I am sure that there are things that we do today that will seem "horrible" 50 years from now.
Jessica
I think that according to the time change it is still Feb. 28th so my comment is not late!
I found this book interesting but not necessarily worth the hype. I thought the author was able to capture the feeling of the South in the 50's without making it hyper dramatic. It painted the feeling of racism that pervaded society in that city but also showed the hope and quiet dignity that those who were oppressed also felt.
I appreciated that the author showed that colored people were not the only ones living in a "cage". For The Help it was the color of their skin. But for Miss Celia it was a cage of her own imperfections and desire to be accepted by the "popular" crowd. I thought Skeeter was a nice balance to Miss Celia in showing a woman who was not afraid to "buck the trend". I think it would have been very interesting to see the two of them interact more. The impact that Skeeter could have had on Celia would have been interesting.
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