Monday, March 22, 2010

THE HELP IS WORTH THE WAIT

If you've heard of first time novelist Kathryn Stockett's book The Help, then you also likley know that it's been hugely popular among readers.  In fact, a patron recalled today searching for a copy of the book in our catalog several days ago:  only one copy was available in the whole system.  That's one copy out of 107 total copies among 169 public libraries. 

Being popular isn't often indicitive of quality.  But in this case, Stockett has created a story well deserved of acclaim.  The Help is a novel, at large, about race relations in the 1960s South.  But it's also a story about relationships between women, class, family ties, oral traditions and the importance of creating our own narratives.  It's a fast moving read you won't want to put down.  Don't wait to get on your library's wait list.