'The Help' | Kathryn Stockett

I’m very late to getting this book under my belt but if like me, you missed out on all the excitement around The Help when it first came out, let me tell you: you NEED this novel in your life. Whether your thing is suspense, humour, sociology, history, politics or anything else you can think of, Kathryn Stockett manages to draw everything together in a tale about the lives of African-American maids working for white families in the town of Jackson, Mississippi, which is as touching as it is page-turning.

Set in the 1960s, The Help alternates between first-person narration from the three main characters: Aibileen, a hard working maid, Minny, her outspoken friend, and Skeeter, the daughter of a wealthy white family with aspirations to become a journalist rather than following the other women of Jackson by marrying early and spending her time planning social events and playing bridge.

After Aibileen confides in Skeeter about her son Treelore’s dreams of writing and publishing a book about the lives of the black communities in the Deep South, Skeeter comes up with a radical and risky idea to compile, with the help of the maids who work for her own friends, a documentation of their experiences working for white families. It takes a while for Skeeter to convince the maids to share their experiences, for fear of being fired by the very employers they are describing – though eventually the will to tell their important stories brings them round to the idea. But in a town steeped in racism, prejudice and divide, it is vital that the contributors remain anonymous, not to mention the difficulties of getting such a controversial piece published.

The Help conveys an important message about the completely contrasting lives of the two worlds in Jackson, despite the fact that the two work and live alongside one another every day. As well as being beautifully and uniquely written, it tells you a lot about the history of prejudice and fear in the Southern American states.

PS. My contribution to the 'no make up selfie' campaign, also to be found on Facebook! I have to say I was a little sceptical of this at first but seeing how much money has been raised by this alone I'm impressed at it's impact - it's not to say that selfies alone are beating cancer but every little helps and why not make donating and raising awareness a little bit fun?! So if you're reading this I nominate YOU for a #nomakeupselfie and to donate to Cancer Research or a cancer charity of your choice (online or text BEAT to 70007).