So glad that I ignored the (most unwarranted) criticism on the book, as well as its author and opened the pages to see for myself what she had to say. The Help has loooong been on my "to read" list, but with the recent movie, and the barrage of (negative) press definitely shot the book up a few spots. The Help turned out to be all the things that everyone said that it wasn't. Let's list them, shall we? 
 The Help is not... 
 ...Revisionist History. There is no "great white hype" here. We know that the Civil Rights Movement was won on the blood, sweat and tears of Black people and though there were WHites who helped, by and large, Black folk fought and earned their rights by their own strength, faith and determination. THe same applies here; Stockett's white protagonist "Skeeter" Phelan may have came up with the idea to write a book from the point of view of "the help" but she needed the help to do it! If it wasn't Aibileen and Minny's courage, as well as the other maids, there would be no book. These women were brave and they SPOKE UP FOR THEMSELVES and in the end that was what matters. They told the truth. 
 ...Condescending. So what, the white author wrote in a Southern, black dialect. Get over it. Most Black folk in 1960s Mississippi spoke that way and it would have been less authentic if she had her characters speaking the King's English. 
 ...Shallow. These characters were all so rich and complex, they had inner lives and nuances. In no way were these women stereotypes. That fact I think I am the most happy for. The author could have easily made these women into bleak caricatures but she chose to imbue them with life and all of these women will live with me forever. 
 ...tell the whole story. Does "THe Help" sum it all up in nutshell what it was like to be a black maid in Mississippi? Nope. But I'm not quite sure that any book, or film for that matter can. But that's life. Everyone's experiences are different and Kathryn Stockett wrote from what she knew. ANd I for one say, Bravo. I couldn't put the book down.