The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I read this back in 2011, when it was relatively new (or when the movie was coming out). But my book club is reading this for February, so I listened to it over the last week. I'll admit that I wasn't overly thrilled about reading this again, because this is a book that everyone has read and everyone knows about from ten years ago when it originally came out. But the minute I started the audiobook again, I was hooked and I couldn't stop listening. The story is so good, and the three main characters--Aibilene, Minnie, and Skeeter--are so well-written and interesting that it's hard not too get invested. The audiobook version of this book is so well-done as well, with three different narrators for each of the women. It was definitely worth a listen and the 18 hours of the audiobook flew by. I forgot how great it is and I'm glad to have read it again. I loved the connection that forges between Skeeter and Aibilene, and how the women start to learn about each other and their similarities, and how they start to slowly make change in their town by just sharing their stories. I really do think that the only way to break down stereotypes, even on an individual level, is by getting to really know someone, and that's what this book is really about.