Because I carry The Help by Kathryn Stockett with me, I have had the opportunity to witness other people's reactions to the book. For instance, if I meet a person who has read The Help, the person usually squeals, "The Help! I love that book! Do you love it?" If I meet a person who has seen the movie but did not read the book, the person usually squeals, "The Help! I love that movie! Is the book any good?" (My silent reply: "If the movie is good, you can bet your bottom dollar that the book is better.") If I meet a person who has not seen the movie or read the book, the person usually squeals, "The Help! My ____ (fill in the blank with mother, sister, babysitter, hairdresser, grandmother, etc.) loves that book/movie! Do you love it?"
The bottom line is that The Help is like a forest fire in the literary jungle. Praise for The Help spreads by word of mouth. However, I have noticed that The Help is only popular among women. It's understandable that males are not the target audience for the novel because all of the central characters are women. In fact, the girl power in this novel (i.e. Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter) is a significant theme.
I am currently reading the chapter titled "The Benefit." I am positive that something humiliating is about to happen to Celia Foote.
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