The Help

I absolutely love opening a new book and knowing from the first page I'm going to love it.  That doesn't happen very often, in fact, pretty rarely.  In fact, I had to give Atlas Shrugged, one of my favorites, at least 100 pages to really get into it.  This last Memorial Monday, I spent a delectable three hours in bed finishing The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  Her voices are very real, the relationships too, and the fabric of the story is unique and captivating.  As I devoured the book on lunch breaks and snippets here and there, I tried to store away notes to myself on technique and savvy tips for an outstanding story.  She is one of the writers I aspire to be on a shelf with.  I also wanted to throw the book at those writing teachers and critics that say "write what you know" as an AhHA!! This is a white woman, writing in part from the perspective of two black maids in the 60's, and she did it flawlessly.  An absolutely stunning read, and the movie is coming out in August.