APRIL BOOK CLUB - THE HELP by KATHRYN STOCKETT

This month's book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, was another home run read for our group.  Recommended by one of our members (thank you Renee!), everyone was excited to read it as we had all heard very positive things about it.  But I am not sure that we all expected the book to have the impact on us that it did.  Not because we are not familiar with life in the South or because we haven't lived, read, or watched all about it, but because this book really hit your heart as a mother, daughter, singleton, and as anyone in any sort of women's only club!

As the title elude's, the book is about the help that white people in the 1960s would hire to help clean the home, cook dinner, and raise their children.  This last part had a significant impact as it was very eye-opening to say the least.  To learn how Abileen and all of the other maids had such a significant role in raising the children that these children were closer to them than their own mother was something.  And specifically Abileen's role with Mae Mobley, well, that just about broke your heart every time it came up in the book.  When Abileen would tell Mae Mobley that "you kind, you smart, you important" because her own mama would never tell or teach her these things, I think we all stopped and thought Am I doing that? 

The book is great as it explores both sides, if you will, of the story.  I think there is one quote that sums up the perspective that white women and men had from that era, and it is from Miss Skeeter - 

“They say it’s like true love, good help.  You only get one in a lifetime.”  

This is being rather positive, as there are obviously some very racist view points described throughout the book, and even in real life, but I think this best explains the point of The Help.  Now the quote that I believe sums up the perspective from the black women and men from that era is when Abileen addresses Mae Mobley’s question about why she is colored, 

“Cause God made me colored...And there ain’t another reason in the world.”  

Need we say more...

Some additional memorable quotes that our group enjoyed were:

Ch 3 Miss Celia, "I want him to think I'm...worth the trouble."

Ch 19 Callie (a maid being interviewed), "If any white lady reads my story, that's what I want them to know.  Saying thank you, when you really mean it, when you remember what someone done for you...it's so good."

Ch 24 Abileen "All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries."

Ch 27 Skeeter "I always thought insanity would be a dark, bitter feeling, but it is drenching and delicious if you really roll around in it."

Ch 27 Skeeter "Everyone's asleep in this town in every way possible."

Ch 33 Skeeter "Wasn't that the point of the book?  For women to realize, We are just two people.  Not that much separates us.  Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

As you know by now, our group has a way of finding the funniest quotes and putting them to good use.  Here are some of those, and yes, for some reason the word 'shit' seems to be in most of them!

Ch 6 Mister Golden describing Miss Myrna to Skeeter - "Miss Myrna's gone shit-house crazy on us."

And this has a "shit-house crazy" story to go along with it.  Our beloved CC ran across this quote first and sent it to me to tell me a story about it.  Low and behold she sent it to the wrong person!  Another Jennifer Pratt.  Who knew that was even possible.  I hope that she has as good of a sense of humor and loves books as much as this Jennifer Pratt!!

Ch 13 Miss Skeeter when referring to her date with Stuart - "shit-dog drunk"

No worries, we weren't "shit-dog drunk" while discussing this book!

Ch 24 Minnie describing Miss Celia "...a juke joint hussy"

I am sure we all know a few of these lovely ladies...

So please read this book if you have not already.  It is eye-opening, inspiring, and down right hilarious!

MARCH BOOK CLUB - WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by SARA GRUEN

Just this week the movie "Water for Elephants" premiered to rave reviews (yes, totally my interpretation!).  Our book club wanted to make sure we read the book prior to the movie release, for, as all book lovers know, the movie is never quite as good as the book.  We are, of course, holding out hope for this one though as the movie premiers are what hooked several of us into wanting to read the book in the first place.

As you all have most likely heard by now, the book is mainly about the love story between Jacob and Marlena and one could even say with Rosie, the elephant that, from everything I have read, steals the scenes in both movie and book.  More on this later...

But the story has so much more that will have an impact on your mind and your heart.  The story is set in modern time with the elder Jacob (is he ninety or ninety-three...) telling the story through his memories of when and how it all came about back in 1931.  This alone adds two elements.  The elderly and how they are treated at the end of their life and The Great Depression.  

We all have thought, read, watched movies about the elderly and what life might be like at the end, who can forget Cocoon.  Don't we all hope that we could get our groove back just by swimming in a pool?  But in Water for Elephants we find ourselves immersed in the grim but true details of life after "life.”   This is the first chapter of the book, and I must say, it will take the breath out of you.  From eating "mushy peas"..."tapioca"...and, my personal favorite line, "gravy that must have been waved over a piece of beef at some point in its life.”  I mean so depressing, right?!  Naturally, the book makes you think, and we all discussed this at our meeting, what are we going to do with our parents?  Or with ourselves?  As a single person this is the sole reason my niece gets fantastic gifts for any, and all, holidays.  I clearly have to line up my care-taking with years of spoiling!  But is this what life can really be like?  Infrequent visits by your family, forgetting their names or the day of the week...or worse, year?  Do we really send our family off to live out their remaining years to only be "filed away like some worthless tchotchke"?  The answer is yes.  Everyday.  Personally, this part was not only sad to think about the major lack of respect society as a whole has for our elderly, but it also was rather eye-opening into what the future can really hold for us.  We were not afraid to all say, "SCARY!".  But, it is also inspiring to hope that one could live a long life of love, happiness, and hope as Jacob had.  Again, more on this later...  

And then there is the second element, the Great Depression, in an era of 1931 when times were hard and people made unthinkable sacrifices just to survive.  We all know that work was rare, money scarce, causing food to be little to nothing.  But the backdrop of the Benzini Circus brought a whole new meaning to the word 'sacrifice".  There were many times when I was literally disgusted with the aspects of circus life.  In fact, I am not even going to go into it here.  Suffice it to say, it has a lot to do with their creative means for feeding the animals.  Props to Sara Gruen for her over-the-top descriptions in this regard.  But the point was most likely for us to get a sense of how serious The Great Depression really was.  I can say I will never doubt that again...

So finally, the love story.  From Jacob and Marlena to Jacob and Rosy, it is hard to pick which one we all loved more.  But it is safe to say that the elder Jacob is what makes us fall in love with their story.  From the very beginning when he tells us that she died of cancer and says, "Losing her was like being cleft down the middle.  It was the moment it all ended for me, and I wouldn't have wanted her to go through that."  Well...that sold it right there.  I mean, isn't that what we all want when we say we want to find our one, true love?  Love that after sixty-one (yes, sixty-one!) years, finds you wanting to be the survivor just so they don't have to suffer life without you?  I mean, yes, we do get enamored with the young Jacob and hope he can be the hero somehow and save Marlena from being the wife of what one can only describe the man as Evil reincarnate himself.  And yes, we do fall in love with Rosy herself.  This animal has a way of making you smile and laugh, and she cannot even understand English.  But, in the end, I have to think that the whole point of having the elderly Jacob tell the story from his perspective is to show us that love, true love, can last and make it all the way to the end.  And when you find it, like Jacob and Marlena did, you must grab it before it passes you by.  Before you miss your chance...