I read this book in 2 days. I was dying to find out what "terrible awful thing" Minny did with the pie! Some parts were so funny and some were so sad. This story takes place in the heat of the civil rights movement in Jackson Mississipi- a community which vehemently resisted racial integration. Skeeter, disgusted by the way her white friends treat their black maids decides to write a book telling their side of the story. At times I thought the racial issues were "dumbed down" a bit... but it's only a 500 page novel- what do you want? Since the author is white I guess it's hard to say how accurately she portrayed the black communities perspective.