Finished: August 8, 2011
Page Count: 464 but I read it on my iPhone so it was like 1635 tiny pages
Why I read it:
My mom liked the book and I wanted to read it before I saw the movie.
Publisher's Weekly review:
What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel (and maiden publication of Amy Einhorn's new imprint) set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.
What I thought (a review of the book, reading it on my iPhone, and the movie):
The book was fantastic. It was well written and I liked how it went back and forth between the POV of Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. It was a great story of how their book was written. It had just enough romance in it to satisfy me but was mostly about a very important time in this country when Jim Crow ruled and no one was talking about it.
Reading a book on my iPhone was good and bad. It was good because I had it with me at all times- I have a hard time carrying around big books and actually reading them when I'm places. It was bad because the screen is tiny and it hurt my eyes sometimes.
I saw the movie with my mom last night. It was basically the book in movie form- its rare to see a movie that is 98% straight from the book. Since I so recently finished reading the book, watching the movie was like reading the book again so I was a little bored. My mother, however, seemed to really enjoy it and cried for half the movie (she hasn't read the book in a while). I really liked it nonetheless- I love Emma Stone so I'll see just about anything with her in it. It's worth seeing whether you've read the book or not.
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