Love books which talk about slavery and racism. Makes me feel that we have come a long way

This book touched my heart. It also moved me in many different ways. While reading this book, I experienced a variety of emotions. I really like the way that it was structured - the reader was able to see the perspectives of different characters in the novel. As well, each character can develop in their own way that way.

Although the movie version of this is good, the book is way better! Both hilarious and heart breaking, I found it hard to stop reading. The book entertains with its wonderful characters while revealing some of the difficulties faced in the South.

This is a terrific read. Really thoughtful and feels very authentic.
It's set in Jacksonville, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Told from the POV of three women who all know each other: Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who is raising the children of a white woman, and who has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson, an African-American maid who gets in a fight with her employer and evokes her wrath making finding work difficult; and "Skeeter" Phelan, a young white woman (who's friends with Aibileen's boss and Minny's former boss) and recent college graduate who wants to be a journalist. When she moves home after college she finds that her family's maid has disappeared and her mother won't say why she left. The stories of the three women intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help", with complex relations of power, money, emotion, and intimacy tying together the white and black families of Jackson.

The book has been turned into a movie staring Emma Stone, coming out this summer. The book is really well done and complex, and while I am sure the movie will be great, I would definitely recommend reading the book first!