The Help by Kathryn Stockett

We had a great discussion.  The Help is one of the rare books that EVERYONE liked!

Some highlights of our discussion:

• Wished that Elizabeth had stood up to Hilly at the end
• Everyone was glad that Hilly looked so bad at the end
• Toilet/pie pranks = awesome
• It would have been interesting to read a story from Hilly’s perspective
• Can you be a good mother but still be flawed?  Just loving your kids doesn’t make you a good mom; Hilly was classic bully, queen bee, kind of mother that will get you wherever you want to go
• Easy to lose respect for Skeeter every time she talked about her friendship with Hilly; Skeeter finally realizes “how could I ever have been friends with Hilly?” after reflecting
• Role of mothers in the novel – a lot of bad mothers, trying to live “perfect” lives
• Skeeter’s mom like in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – got to help you get what you need in life; loved Skeeter but didn’t understand her