The Help by Kathryn Stockett

  

I took a writing class a couple of weeks ago and the instructor said that one question to ask when writing is why tell this story now. What is so unique about this story that it needs to be told at this particular time? Well I think the same question can be asked when reading something. Why is this story being told now? This question may not be easily answered with every book. Sometimes there really isn't a reason. And there are times when there is one distinct reason or possibly many reasons.

For The Help by Kathryn Stockett, the answer falls under the latter category. The reason the stories of these two maids and this young white woman from Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s are being told at this particular time is because in order to appreciate where we are we sometimes have to remember where we came from. Our nation has recently made history by electing the first African-American President. But just a few short decades ago this accomplishment was the furthest from our thoughts. There was a time in our history where a portion of our citizens weren't allowed to attend the same schools, the same libraries, live in the same neighborhoods, even use the same restrooms or water fountains as others. A time where someone like our current White House inhabitant would be looked upon as diseased or less than human. I think this is an important thing to remember in order appreciate, whatever your political views are, just how important this accomplishment is for the Nation. As a young black woman living in New York City, I can't even begin to imagine living in a time where I wasn't allowed to attend whatever school or use whatever facilities I pleased, and I'm sure there are many out there who feel the same way. That such rules are absurd.  But for Aibileen, Minny, and the other maids of Jackson this was their daily reality.

The story is told in sections in the points of view of Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. Aibileen and Minny, being black maids, come from an entirely different world than Skeeter, a young southern white woman. Two worlds that at the time were never to intertwine except within the roles of employer and employee. Skeeter, in trying to achieve her goal of being a writer, decides to write a book about life as a maid from the eyes of black maids and goes to Aibileen, Minny and other maids who work in Jackson for their stories. With the actions of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and the Civil Rights Movement going on in the background, this venture proves to be both dangerous and inspiring. More importantly, their venture breaks down the barriers of society's prejudices and injustices and allows these three women and the separate worlds they reside in to come together and realize just how thin those barriers are.

One of the major challenges Kathyrn Stockett felt she had to face in writing this book was being able to express life as a black maid during this time period even though she, being a southern white woman, never experienced it herself. I think after reading this book many can agree that it is so well written and the points of view are so well expressed that you honestly forget who actually wrote it. Even down to the dialect. The characters, even some of the minor ones, are so well developed you feel like you know them personally and if you were meant to like them, then you would always like them and if you were to hate them you would always hate them. For example, even during times of total humiliation, it was impossible to feel any sympathy for Miss Hilly. You're actually mad to feel sort of glad when something bad happens to her. And the switching between points of view allows for you to not only see the world through one particular character's eyes and how they interact with others, you also see how they're perceived by others and how other characters interact with them. For example, when Aibileen and Minny interact, from Aibileen's point of view, Minny comes off as strong and tough, although Aibileen feels Minny may not be as tough as she lets on. But when you look from Minny's point of view, you find just how scared Minny actually is and what feelings and thoughts she's hiding. 

The pacing was good as well. Kathyrn Stockett knew how to keep us intrigued. She picked the exact right moments to leave one character's point of view and move on to the next. And when you think that nothing else could surprise you, another surprise comes along, all the way to the very end.

I read on abcnews.com that some found the language and portrayal of black people in the book to be a little offensive, particularly when the maids refer to themselves. During a scene where Aibileen encounters a cockroach in her kitchen, she says "He big, inch, inch and a half. He black. Blacker than me." Some felt that this particular description was offensive because it makes the comparison of an black person to a cockroach. I did not particularly find this line offensive. I just don't think that way. But even if I did, I think you have to think within the context of the time that's being portrayed here. This is a time where black people were viewed as less than human, like vermin. And I feel that it isn't completely far fetched that despite  how unjustified you think things are or how proud you are, if you hear from the time you're little yourself being compared to a cockroach, in describing a cockroach you may make the comparison to yourself. By today's standards, making a comparison like that is offensive and degrading, but maybe in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s it wasn't. There is a lot of harsh language in this book and I don't mean swear words. But it goes with the time period, so viewing the language by today's standards is inaccurate.    

I found out recently that this book was made into a movie and is due in theaters this August. I saw the trailer for it and I must say I was disgusted. The actors that were chosen for the roles were nothing like what I had pictured characters. For example, at several points throughout the book, it was implied that Miss Hilly Holbrook was on the chubby side. The actress they chose to play her, Bryce Dallas Howard, doesn't look all the chubby to me. And it looks like they may have changed some of the plot, which I personally hate. I can understand cutting stuff out to save time and keep the action going, that's fine, but changing it. If it ain't broke don't fix it. The story has enough action in it that just cutting it here and there would've sufficed. From a cinematic point of view, it would probably be a fun summer movie in and of itself. But as far as giving justice to the fine literary work it is based on, I don't think so. I think it distorts it, as many films based on books do these days. So I ask anyone who is considering watching the film, do not judge the book on the movie. The book is great, completely lives up to it's hype and is well worth a shot.

Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls #1) by Lisa See

I read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See months ago and I have been debating for a bit as to whether or not I should write my thoughts on it considering that it has been a while since I read it. But then the other day I read something concerning the book, which I'll divulge a the end of this post, that made me happy so I decided what the heck.

I like books on Asian culture. One of my favorite authors is Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club , The Hundred Secret Senses , and The Bonesetters Daughter . So when I went into Barnes and Nobles one day while waiting for a friend and I saw Shanghai Girls, I was instantly intrigued and I read the first chapter while I waited.

Shanghai Girls is about two sisters, Pearl and May, who live in Shanghai, China in the mid 1930s. They come from a wealthy family and are well educated. They work as models for Chinese calenders, or calendar girls as they call it, and have tons of modern Shanghai clothes. The last thing they are thinking about is getting married, let alone an arranged marriage. However, they find out that their father put the family in debt due to his gambling habit and, as a means to avoid losing everything, he sells Pearl and May to a Chinese-American man to be married to his American sons who live in California. Pearl and May refuse to go until Japanese bombs and soldiers invade their town. So they travel to California to be with their husbands. There they have to adapt to living with strangers in a strange land and keeping a secret that changes their lives forever.

The main theme of this novel is sisterhood. Pearl and May are very close but they couldn't be more different. Pearl is the oldest and is viewed as the "uglier" of the two. In fact, the first line of the book is Pearl's father criticizing Pearl's looks. What Pearl definitely is is intelligent, but in 1930s Confucius China "an intelligent woman is a worthless woman". And as the oldest, she is expected to look after and protect her sister May. May is known primarily for her beauty, charm and cleverness. She knows the right look and the right things to say to get what she wants.

As much as Pearl and May love and value each other, like all sisters, they also know how to get on each others nerves. Pearl is secretly jealous of May because she seems to get away with less responsibility and tends to have more fun than Pearl. Pearl resents the fact that she always has to be the sensible one, the one that always does the right thing, the one who is always protecting and saving May. May's impulsiveness angers Pearl; she constantly wishes that May would stop and think before she does things. May, on the other hand, is jealous of Pearl because people tend to trust Pearl more. Anything vain or shallow, they look to May, but anything of importance is put on Pearl. May feels that Pearl is valued more because of her intelligence. Pearl's sensibility and cautiousness drives May crazy and May wishes that Pearl would loosen up and enjoy life a little more. However, throughout the book, all of these feelings are harbored in secret. On the surface, Pearl and May are as close as two sisters can be, they're each others best friend and they mainly express love and respect for each other because in the end they're all they have of their home.

Another theme of this novel is culture and immigration. Pearl and May experience culture shock and prejudice when they come to America. Moving from a wealthy home in Shanghai to a poor apartment in California show Pearl and May how much they took their life in Shanghai for granted. They are forced to do housework, unable to go out alone, and any money they make goes into the household pot instead of in their pockets. With American at war, Pearl, May and their new family experience prejudice and live in constant fear that they will be deported back to China. Pearl and May also learn that not only was their view of America different than what it actually is, but America's view of life in China and Chinese culture is skewed as well. But as China turns Communist and Pearl and May learn how much Shanghai has changed in their absence, they know that they are better off where they are than back home in Shanghai.

I really liked this book, except for the ending. It ended in kind of a cliff hanger and I wasn't at all happy with it because everything had just come to a head. However, I just found out that the sequel, Dreams of Joy, is coming out in May. So I guess we'll have to wait until then to find out how everything ends.

The Hunger Games Book #3: Mockingjay

I finished the third and final book in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, this weekend. I  honestly did not want the series to end. I was that hooked on it. But as with all things, it did come to an end and for a final book it was probably the most action packed out of the three.

Katniss is taken from the arena and brought to District 13. Peeta is taken by the Capitol and District 12 is destroyed. The battle between the Capitol and the districts has begun. Katniss becomes the Mockingjay or spokesperson for the rebels. Will the rebels defeat the Capitol and gain their freedom? Or will the Capitol beat the rebels and punish the leaders of the rebellion?

Katniss and the survivors of District 12 went from one bad situation to another by going to District 13. They don't follow the rules of the Capitol, but they have their own rules that aren't that much better. Every day citizens are stamped with a schedule on their arm detailing where they're supposed to be and at what time. This include eating, sleeping, and bathing. They amount of food given to each person is determined based on age, height and weight. Hoarding food, even a slice of bread, is a punishable offense. The entire district is underground, so they don't get any sunlight or fresh air. But Katniss and the rebels are made to believe that they're better off this way and that it's for the greater good because they're not under the Capitol's rule anymore.

For some reason or other, Katniss always ends up being the TV star, even though, as Haymitch delicately puts it, she's terrible at it. As with the district tours after the first games, she has cameras following her trying to get good shots for propaganda spots, or "propos," to televise over the districts; however this time its to rally the rebels. What's upsetting is that all Plutarch and President Coin (the president of District 13) seem to care about is what "propos" shots they can get out of her. Throughout the series, Katniss always seems to be used as part of someone's "Games". In Hunger Games, Haymitch wanted her to put on good, convincing show to get sponsor for supplies that will help her win the Games, which Katniss did in order to survive to be able to see her sister and Gale again. In Catching Fire, the Capitol wanted her to put on a show to hopefully squash the rebellion, which Katniss only agreed to to save her family and friends. Then she finds out that Haymitch secretly used her and Peeta to start a rebellion that was already in the works. Now District 13 is using her as a means to rally the rebels and get under President Snow's skin. How does this make them any better than the Capitol? Because they don't host any hunger games and send children to their deaths for amusement? But isn't living underground and being forced to follow strict schedules and rules just as bad?

Unfortunately, as much as I liked this book, there was a point when I actually said out loud "are you kidding me?" and I had to put the book down for a little bit. The book, without giving too much away, was basically  building up to one goal, the assassination of President Snow. The reason I made the aforementioned statement was because it was such a good build up until this one particular moment where you're at the edge of your seat hoping that they reach this goal, only to suddenly have a summary of the events and it's nothing like you hoped. Really, all that build up and the resolution was so simple that it can be summarized? I was hoping for something a little more dramatic like the endings to the first two books. There is a dramatic twist at the end which somewhat makes up for the previous summary, but then Suzanne goes into a summary again. The very end I was happy with, but honestly I really expected more from Suzanne. The pace and plot of the book was great until like the last like 3 or 4 chapters. There were still surprises which were great, but I was still somewhat disappointed. I know that since it was the last book of the series everything has to be summed up and resolved at the end, but with all the battling and build up through most of the book, I think there may have been a better way of doing it.

I hear that there is a possibility for a movie based on this series (really, what a shock!). That they're already casting for it. I don't know if they're gonna do all three or just The Hunger Games and I'm not sure if I really want to know until I see the trailers for them on TV. It would kind of be interesting to see how it's portrayed on screen, but I feel the books are descriptive enough that you can create your own visual in your head. That is truly how powerful Suzanne's words are. But if they do film all three, when they get to Mockingjay, I surely hope they do something a little better with the end than what was done in the book. But realistically, knowing how movies are these days, and the factor that Suzanne I believe wrote the screenplay, I surely doubt it.

The Hunger Games Book #2: Catching Fire

Suzanne Collins hooked me with The Hunger Games. Now I read the second book in the trilogy Catching Fire. This book is slower paced and less action packed as the first one, but still good nonetheless. Catching Fire begins pretty much where The Hunger Games left off, so if you plan on reading The Hunger Games or are in the middle of reading it, I must warn that there will be spoilers in this post.

Katniss Everdeen returns to District 12 to a new home as a celebrity after winning "the Games". However, her victory takes a dire turn and could cost her everything. Before leaving for her victory tour, she is visited by President Snow who warns of an uprising in the districts due to her act of defiance at the end of the games and says it's up to her to squash it on the tour. Fail to comply and her family and friends will be killed. Meanwhile, the third "Quarter Quell" or the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games is approaching and, as with every quarter quell, that means a miserable twist for the tributes. The twist for this quell "as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol" is for the tributes to be selected from the victors of previous Games.

Katniss grows as a character in this book. She tries hard to do the right thing by everyone, but has a difficult time figuring out what that is. It seems no matter what she does, she risks hurting or endangering someone. She doesn't want to be a puppet of the Capitol but she also doesn't want her friends and family to die because of her. However, even with her best intentions at heart she winds of screwing things up.

When she went into the Games in the last book she was only looking out for herself, she had no intention on making friends or allies. And this is pretty much how she's gone through life until the Games. She only has one real friend, her hunting partner Gale, who is the only one other than her sister Prim that she expresses her thoughts and fears to. But even with him she's still a bit guarded. However, when she enters the Games this time, she is no longer just out for herself. She wants to rebel against the capitol and protect as many as she can...particularly Peeta.

Ultimately she did what she felt was best for her and to protect her family. But I think if you asked her what was best for her, she wouldn't know the answer, nor would she even really consider it. She would prefer to die if it meant saving everyone else. Before she felt if she died her family would suffer. Now, if she lives she endangers them to even more suffering than if she dies. She also has a difficult time deciding who or what she should trust. Was President Snow telling the truth when he said she had the power to stop the uprising? Should she and her family run away? Should she stay with Gale and fight? Is District 13 really destroyed or is the Capitol covering something up?

There is also a love conflict, even though Katniss says time and time again that she has no time for romance. She's torn between Gale, her best friend and confidant, and Peeta, her fellow victor. Each represents a side in her major conflict. Her romance with Peeta is basically a show for the Capitol. It is important that she and Peeta keep up the romantic angle to convince everyone that they are in love and that love is what fueled her act of defiance at the Games, not rebellion. I find this unfortunate because his love for her is genuine and I think that if she didn't have to keep up this romantic show she'd find that she loves him as well, otherwise she wouldn't spend so much time trying to save his life. I think it's all the fake showcasing that keeps her from realizing her true feelings for him.

Her relationship with Gale is more natural and represents rebellion against the Capitol. She can express her feelings for him however she wants and secretly. She doesn't have to prove her love for him to anyone.  However, for me, from the beginning their relationship felt more like a brother/sister type of a relationship than a romance. She even admits within the first chapter of The Hunger Games that she has never viewed him as more than a friend. I think romantic entanglement between Katniss and Gale will feel weird and unnatural in the end if they actually went for it, at least for her anyway. The interesting thing is that she doesn't seem to truly show her feelings for either one until she's at risk of losing them. It's only then that she realizes how important they are to her and how much she needs them.

We begin to learn just how brutal and powerful the Capitol is in this book. In the previous book, we were mostly told of their cruelty, this time we get a good glimpse of it. District citizens are arrested, publicly beaten, and killed; property is burned; Katniss receives visits from "Peacekeepers" that feels like mob visits. There is no end to the Capitol's tyranny. And Katniss knows that something needs to be done about this before more lives are lost. The question is what and how.

The Hunger Games...the future of reality tv?

My husband gave me an e-reader for Christmas and ever since I have been reading pretty much non stop. Practically every day in a moment of boredom I have been searching between Sony e-bookstore, Google, and Borders for new things to read. This is how I came across The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I have always been a fan of satirical novels. Some of my favorite classics are The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald , 1984  and Animal Farm by George Orwell , and Brave New World  by Aldous Huxley . What actually caused me to purchase the book was after reading an excerpt of the first chapter on Google and being reminded of 1984. And as with 1984, many aspects of The Hunger Games  can be seen in society today, even though it is set during some unknown time in the future.

Book info

Hardcover, 374 pages
Published: October 31st 2008 by Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439023483 
ISBN13: 9780439023481
url: http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/
Literary awards: Georgia Peach Book Award (2009), Buxtehuder Bulle (2009), School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008), Cybils Award for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2008), Amelia Bloomer List (2009)
An ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers (2009), West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Older Readers (2010), Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2011), Red House Children's Book Award for Older Readers & Overall (2010), New York Times Notable Children's Book (2008), Publishers Weekly's Best Books of The Year, South Carolina Book Award for Junior and Young Adult Book Awards (2011), Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (2010), Teen Buckeye Book Award (2009), Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2010), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2010), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2009), Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2010), Sakura Medal for Middle School Book (2010), Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award (2009), Florida Teens Read (2009), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (2010), Iowa High School Book Award (2011), Horn Book Fanfare (2008), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2009), Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (2010), The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2009), Abraham Lincoln Award (2011) 

Summary

Here's the background of the story. At some point in the future, much of the land we call North America was destroyed by a series of events (i.e. floods, storms, fire). What remains is a country called Panem which consists of the Capitol surrounded by 13 districts. At first things are fine until there is an uprising in the districts against the Capitol, which is then after called "the Dark Days". In the end, 12 of the districts are defeated and District 13 is obliterated. A Treaty of Treason is formed by the Capitol providing laws for the remaining 12 districts in order to "keep the peace" (leaving most districts in poverty, starving, and with no rights or freedom) and as a yearly reminder of "the Dark Days" (not to mention the hold the Capitol has over the districts), they have the Hunger Games. The basic rules of the Hunger Games are such: every year two kids between the ages of 12 and 18, one boy and one girl, are chosen from each district in a public drawing (called "the Reaping") to participate in "the Games" with a total number of 24 "tributes". Participation in the Games and attendance at the Reaping are mandatory punishable by death and the only way a "tribute" can get out of participating in "the Games" after his or her name is drawn is if someone else in the district volunteers to take their place (which rarely happens). After all of the tributes are selected, they are then taken to an outdoor arena in a undisclosed location in the Capitol where they are to fight each other to the death. The last tribute standing is the winner and is rewarded with wealth, a new home in the wealthier area of their district, their district is given a supply of food once a month, and they never have to compete in "the Games" again.  "The Games" are a national event that is televised throughout the country and the people have no choice but to watch them (the citizens of the Capitol are the only ones who actually enjoy them). There are a few other aspects to it, but this is the basic premise. 

At the time in which The Hunger Games takes place, our narrator, Katniss Everdeen, is 16 years old citizen of Samen in District 12 and is about to attend her fourth "Reaping". When her 12 year old sister, Primrose (bka Prim), is selected for "the Games", Katniss volunteers to take her place. The male tribute is Peeta Mellark, a 16 year old son of a baker who goes to school with Katniss and to whom Katniss owes an unspoken debt. I will stop here with the overview because I don't wish to give too much away. 

My Review

I really liked this book. It had me hooked within the first few pages. Suzanne lets you know from the beginning that Katniss isn't you're average teenager, that Panem is far from the world as we know it, and this is not going to be a light and airy story. The world in which Katniss resides is a harsh one. Where most girls her age are worrying about social engagements, clothes, and boys, Katniss' thoughts are way beyond that.  From the time her father is killed in a mine explosion, Katniss is left to take care of her mother and her sister. She had to learn to hunt for food and trade in the black market. This alone puts life into perspective. Imagine if you lived in a world where you have no guarantee that you will get a meal each day. Where hunger is a daily occurrence. It makes some of our everyday worries seem superficial in comparison. 

In contrast, you have the citizens of the capitol that are heavily made up and surgically perfected and don't know the meaning of the word hunger. Their lives consists of beautifying themselves and the Hunger Games each year. And you may think that Katiniss and other citizen's of the outer districts would look up to and envy these people. But it's the opposite--they look down on them. Their appearance seem to be almost alien-like and the way they speak is something to be mocked. At one point, Katniss refers to the members of her prep team as her "pets". These people haven't a care in the world and are oblivious to the harsh realities of life that Katniss and the other tributes have to face daily. There is a possibility that Suzanne may have created this contrast as a means to shine a light on the superficiality of the rich, Hollywood, and possibly America as a culture. 

In looking at "the Games" in itself, I couldn't help but think about reality TV, because that's honestly what "the Games" are; reality TV in it's most inhumane and brutal form. The tributes are brought to the Capitol to be "cleaned" and dressed up in costumes to be paraded around for the Capitol to cheer and gawk at. Meanwhile they all know that it is most likely the last time 23 of them will be seen alive for they will be throw into a arena to kill each other while they watch on. Could this possibly become the future of reality TV? Could our need for entertainment come to mean more than human dignity and human life?  I think it's a possibility that we could be heading in that direction. For example, Fear Factor. The contestants are asked to perform dangerous stunts, eat disgusting things, and put in dangerous situations in the hopes of winning a prize at the end while we viewers are entertained by it. Sure they're in a controlled situation and compete by choice, but they are put in danger and at times humiliated for entertainment value much like "the Games". Another example are shows like the Bachelor. These women are brought to compete for the love of these men and the more drama, fighting and humiliation the better. Much like playing the right angle in "the Games" can get the tributes food or supplies. And it's basically degrading. The women are usually young and beautiful and could probably get any man they want. Yet they choose to compete for these men. Its the same with "the Games" except that it's not by choice. These children are young, with families, and have more life ahead of them (albeit not a bright and prosperous one) and they're taken away from their families most likely never to be seen alive again to fight to the death. So thus far we seem to draw the line at killing one another because it constitutes murder and murder is wrong (plus there is fear of legal repercussions). Humiliation, drama, danger, and injury for the sake of entertainment is fine, just as long as no one dies. But I think that if we found some amusement or entertainment value in killing one another (which theoretically we have, but only in the made up stunt reality of movies, dramas, and documentaries), a reality TV show similar to "the Games" could easily become a reality.