May Reads

The Help by Kathryn Stockett was last years "it" book. So many bloggers read it and loved it. Being skeptical, I just didn't think the book could be as good as everyone said it was. Well I finally read this book. I did enjoy it. It is set in Mississippi in the 1960s and tells the story of African American maids who work for white families. The story is told from the point of view of three ladies, Abileen and Minny- both maids, and Skeeter a daughter of white, wealthy parents. I cheered along as the ladies each attempted to bring about change to the racial inequality and prejudice in their circumstances and city. This book is outstanding and an excellent read. The movie, based on this book, is opening August 12th.

One small complaint, I would have loved this book so much more if it was a true story. But guess what? It's not a true story. There were many African-Americans who lived the same life as Abileen and Minny, but didn't get the same ending as the characters in the book do. Where's the book about real life help in the South?

I do recommend The Help to anyone who likes to read. I don't know if it quite lives up to all of the hype, but definitely read it before you see the movie.






An author I like to read, on her blog recommended The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. This book is also being turned into a movie that comes out this December. It is being touted as "the feel bad movie of the year". Um yeah, I should have considered that before reading it. I picked this book up from the library and read it. I know many people love this book, but I did not. It might be because I am not a fan of the crime drama genre. Or it might be because everyone is so promiscuous in this book. Or maybe it's because the author gives so many details. Whatever the case, I read it and do not recommend it. It may be well written but I just had a hard time getting by everything else. I do like the character of Lisbeth Salander and how she fights back against people who abuse and mistreat women. She is somewhat of a female Jason Bourne, with tattoos, piercings, and a bad attitude. Lisbeth is flawed, damaged, and way out there, but I still was pulling for her to get the bad guys and find happiness and peace in her life. She gets one of those things at the end of this book.

Did you see The Blind Side? It was based on Michael Oher's life. He wrote I Beat The Odds to encourage kids who are living the same kind of life he had and to speak out about inaccuracies in the movie. This book is excellent and inspiring. I am fascinated by his story. His story is like a fairy tale, but it is a true story. Although, it is not really a fairly tale because he worked hard and endured things no kid should have to, that lead him to his success today. He tells how the movie portrayed him as not very smart (wearing shorts in winter, not understanding the game of football, and acting dumb) but that those things never happened. The real story was a slow and gradual change from him being a son of a women hooked on crack, in and out of foster care, homeless with no place to go, to being admitted to a private Christian high school with mainly rich students, and then being taken in by a rich family and finding his home and a place to belong. Amazingly, he now plays football professionally and is one of the good guys in the NFL.