Co-worker recommendations

I'm constantly searching on Amazon, the New York Times, blogs and other random websites to find a good book. After many months of being let down by best sellers and books that got great reviews, I finally did what I should have done in the first place: asked my co-workers for recommendations. The first book I read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett, recommended to me by Judy, a children's department staff member.


Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement, this novel follows the lives of the black women trusted to not only raise white children but also be the backbone of the entire white household. Not one person questions how these black maids are treated until Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, returns from college, degree in hand, and struggles to find a story that not only speaks to her, but also to potential readers. After viewing firsthand the injustices these black maids face, Eugenia begins to seek out the stories of these maids. Their stories are happy, depressing, touching and wonderful, allowing you into the little known lives of maids from the South.
This book leaves you thinking about how you would have acted, had you lived during the civil rights movement.Would you have been brave enough to speak out against the injustice, or would you have sat back while someone else raised your child, waiting for them to bring you more tea? Free of stereotypes and cliches, this is definitely a book to pick up.

Breana- Children's Assistant