- Australia edition
- International edition
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - review
Set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett shows the peak of racial segregation. The book is narrated by three very different women; Minny, a black maid unable to keep a job due to her hot head, Aibileen, another black maid who is raising her 'seventeenth white child', and Miss Skeeter, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a white woman who wants to be a writer. She has been brought up by black maids since she was young, and longs to find out why her much-loved maid, Constantine, has disappeared.
The help are the black community who spend their lives bringing up the children of upper-class white families. With their own children being looked after by someone else, the help spend their days feeding, dressing and playing with the children they are employed to look after, only to see them grow up and turn out like the rest of the white community, discriminating against the people who have raised them.
Aibileen dedicates all her working time to Miss Elizabeth Leefolt's child, Mae Mobley, whilst trying to heal the scars left by her own son's death. Minny finally manages to find a new job working for Miss Celia Foote, who, luckily for Minny, is too new to the town to know anything about her. Aibileen and Minny have their own problems at home, as well as those surrounding their work for the white families.
Miss Skeeter is finally given her big break when she gets the chance to get her work published. However, she needs to find something interesting that people will want to read. When she has the idea of writing a book about the dreadful life that the help lead, the three women team up, and the help reveal the cruel and unbelievable experiences they have faced whilst working for the people who discriminate against them. This shunned friendship unbelievable is a huge risk for the help, as if found out they could be fired immediately.
Kathryn Stockett manages to merge fact and fiction perfectly, exploring different emotions ranging from sadness to happiness - sometimes all in the same paragraph. Stockett has not only written an unforgettable, at times humorous and all-round brilliant story; this is also an informative masterpiece, educating people about life of the help in the segregated society of Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, using some of her personal experiences of growing up in the deep south.
Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!
- Children and teenagers
- Friendship books for children and teens
- children's user reviews
Most viewed
Common Sense Media Reviews
Visit this website
Company activity See all
Write a review
Reviews 2.8.
Most relevant
Leftist Dogma
There's very little common sense about their reviews, riddled with leftist dogma. For example, I read a review of a great game I just played, and although they awarded it top marks, they basically said that 'progressive' ways of thinking are good, conservative are bad. They claimed that this was the message of the game, which is blatantly incorrect - this is the reviewers warped interpretation of it. Tells you all you need to know about this site, and I've derived this from their site previously. These brainwashed lefties think they invented manners and virtue, whereas conservative minded people are just evil wrongdoers and regressive.
Date of experience : January 14, 2023
Our 2022 Transparency Report has landed
Mediocre experience.
you have to pay $3 a month to get unlimited reviews and you only get 2 (they say 3 but it's 2) reviews a month and then you're locked out of reading reviews until you sign out or wait a month. You should be paying me to write you reviews you fools! The parents on this site literally don't enjoy any movie that is deemed for kids with slightly dark undertones which is really unfortunate. This site has great ui and is extremely well built but these 2 things are pretty terrible.
Date of experience : January 11, 2023
Crazed culture warriors
I just read this cabal’s crazed summary of the Disney movie “One Magic Christmas”, which they insinuate as being “believe In Christmas again, and nobody gets hurt.” Evidently a crew of leftist wackos with the mission of destroying American culture. Shun these people.
Date of experience : December 23, 2022
it makes me laugh when i look at peppa…
it makes me laugh when i look at peppa pig reviews and minecrfat reviews bc they are written by 5 year olds probably. (MINECRAFT IS BETTER THAN FORTNITE)
Date of experience : January 22, 2020
I rated so many things
I rated so many things! It's a bit like Trustpilot except its for parents AND kids! really recommend!
Date of experience : April 10, 2022
A rating site for old parents where you…
A rating site for old parents where you can make sure your kids grow up without friends.
Date of experience : November 30, 2021
it is the best rating website
Date of experience : March 09, 2021
Is this your company?
Claim your profile to access Trustpilot’s free business tools and connect with customers.
- Member Login
- Library Patron Login
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR
FREE NEWSLETTERS
Search: Title Author Article Search String:
What readers think of The Help, plus links to write your own review.
Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Readalikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
by Kathryn Stockett
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
- Literary Fiction
- Mis. Ala. Ga.
- 1960s & '70s
- Female Friendships
- Strong Women
Rate this book
About this Book
- Reading Guide
Book Awards
- Media Reviews
- Reader Reviews
Write your own review!
Beyond the Book: Medgar Evers
- Genres & Themes
Become a Member
Join BookBrowse today to start discovering exceptional books!
Find out more
Book Club Discussion
Members Recommend
Iron Curtain by Vesna Goldsworthy
East and West collide in a timely and bittersweet novel of loyalty, love, and the siren call of freedom.
Zig-Zag Boy by Tanya Frank
A compassionate, heartrending memoir of a mother's quest to accept her son's journey through psychosis.
The Critic's Daughter by Priscilla Gilman
An exquisitely rendered portrait of a unique father-daughter relationship and a moving memoir of family and identity.
Who Said...
Everywhere I go, I am asked if I think the university stifles writers...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Solve this clue:
One S D N M A S
and be entered to win..
Your guide to exceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email.
Free Weekly Newsletters
Keep up with what's happening in the world of books: reviews, previews, interviews and more.
Spam Free : Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time.
- For Parents
- For Educators
- Our Work and Impact
- About Digital Citizenship
- Lesson Plans
- Lesson Plans (U.K.)
- Quick Activities (Grades K–5)
- Quick Activities (Grades 6–12)
- Digital Life Dilemmas
- SEL in Digital Life Resource Center
- Implementation Guide
- Toolkits by Topic
- Virtual Classroom Backgrounds
- Digital Citizenship Week
- Digital Connections (Grades 6–8)
- Digital Compass™ (Grades 6–8)
- Digital Passport™ (Grades 3–5)
- Social Media TestDrive (Grades 6–8)
Meet the Digital Citizens!
- All Apps and Websites
- Curated Lists
- Best in Class
- Common Sense Selections
- About the Privacy Program
- Privacy Evaluations
- Privacy Articles
- Privacy Direct (Free download)
- Civics in Digital Life
- Inside Out Movie Guide
- Internet Safety
- Math Worksheets
- SEL Digital Dilemmas
- ChatGPT and Beyond
- Discussing Shocking News
- Google Search Tips for Research
- Keeping Students Safe on Social Media
- Supporting ELLs with Tech
- Cyberbullying Prevention
- Google Classroom
- Movies in the Classroom
- Digital Citizenship
- News and Media Literacy
- All Events and Training
- Digital Citizenship Teacher Training
- Student Privacy Teacher Training
- Common Sense Recognized Educators
- Common Sense Education Ambassadors
- Family Engagement Toolkit
- Digital Citizenship Resources for Families
Family Tech Planners
- Affordable Connectivity Program
- Workshops for Families with Kids Age 0–8
- Workshops for Middle and High School Families
- Pre-Recorded Parent Presentations
- Get Our Newsletter
Common Sense Selections for Learning
The Common Sense seal program recognizes outstanding media with an official seal for quality and impact. Common Sense Selections for Learning are best-in-class media resources and tools that facilitate great learning experiences for students and educators. Common Sense expert reviewers make hand-picked, official selections annually based on our independent rating criteria and pedagogical rubric. See how we rate and review
Did your product receive a Common Sense Selection seal? Contact Jon Goodspeed ( [email protected] ) for a media kit and other ways to share.
Popular comics platform centers students' creativity
Impressive cross-curricular platform establishes global connections
HOMER: Fun Learning for Kids
Early learners explore fun activities to gain literacy skills and more
Pre-K–2
One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content
Pre-K–4
Next Gen Personal Finance
From crypto to Venmo, up-to-date lessons teach key financial skills
Svoboda 1945: Liberation
Poignant WWII investigation game plumbs a town's dark past
10–12
OER Project
Expansive world history courses powered by great open-source materials
Adobe Express
Enjoyable and practical design tool supports creators of all ages
- Discussions
- Reading Challenge
- Kindle Notes & Highlights
- Favorite genres
- Friends’ recommendations
- Account settings
Common Sense Media Reviews Books
Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Parents need to know that The Help is an emotionally intense adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling civil rights-era novel. It isn't likely to appeal to young kids, but it's a historically relevant drama that mature tweens and teens can see with their parents.
Common Sense Selections for Movies; Marketing Campaign. The Best 22 Movies of 2022 The Common Sense Seal. Common Sense Selections for family entertainment TV. TV Reviews and Lists. TV Reviews; Best TV Lists; Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More; Common Sense Selections for TV; Books. Book Reviews and Lists. Book Reviews; Best Book Lists
Book Summary. Winner of BookBrowse's 2009 Reader Awards. Three extraordinary women start a movement that forever changes a small town in 1960s Mississippi, and the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another. The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
Stockett has not only written an unforgettable, at times humorous and all-round brilliant story; this is also an informative masterpiece, educating people about life of the help in the segregated...
The Help Kathryn Stockett 4.47 2,576,540 ratings88,154 reviews Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.
Founded by Jim Steyer in 2003, Common Sense Media reviews books, movies, TV shows, video games, apps, music, and websites and rates them in terms of age-appropriate educational content, positive messages/role models, violence, sex and profanity, and mo... Contact Townsend Street 650 94103 San Francisco United States The Trustpilot Experience
The Help is the first novel by Kathryn Stockett. Set in the early sixties in Jackson, Mississippi, the story is narrated in three voices: two black maids (“help”) and a young white woman. Aibileen Clark is a wise Negro woman who has raised 17 white children, and lost a son of her own.
The Common Sense seal program recognizes outstanding media with an official seal for quality and impact. Common Sense Selections for Learning are best-in-class media resources and tools that facilitate great learning experiences for students and educators. Common Sense expert reviewers make hand-picked, official selections annually based on our ...
by. Sasha Peyton Smith (Goodreads Author) (shelved 1 time as common-sense-media-reviews) avg rating 3.64 — 8,580 ratings — published 2021. Want to Read. Rate this book. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Down Comes the Night (Hardcover) by.