The DIS Book Club Discussion Group: Round 2 - The Help

[*NikkiBell*]

Good Morning, DISers!

I am proud to announce that we are ready to begin the second round of our DIS Book Club reading group! Our next selection is.... -drumroll please-

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett

Over the next several weeks, we will read and share our thoughts on The Help in this thread. Anyone who is interested in joining us is welcome. You could be a first time poster or a regular visitor to the DIS.

Please check this post in the near future for updates including a reading schedule and any other goodies that may come our way. In the meantime, visit your local library or bookstore for a copy of the novel.

See you soon!

Nikki


Synopsis
from Official Kathryn Stockett Website

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. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.


Author Biography
from Official Kathryn Stockett Website

Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and Creative Writing, she moved to New York City where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and daughter. The Help is her first novel.


Reading Schedule
The following reading schedule will be used as we explore the South with Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter in The Help. Feel free to read ahead and don't fret if you find yourself getting behind. Read at your own pace and enjoy. Please note that this reading schedule will be updated as time passes so be sure to check back here!

Obtain Copy of Book by April 7
Read Chapters 1-7 by April 12
Read Chapters 8-15 by April 17
Read Chapters 16-23 by April 23
Read Chapters 24-29 by April 30
Read Chapters 30-34 (End of Novel) by May 2

Book Club Discussions
One of the best parts about the DIS Unplugged Book Club is that we can share ideas about our reading here online. In order to keep our discussions moving, I will post conversation starters about each section. Feel free to post a reply with your thoughts or other ideas you had while reading that relate to a topic of your own.

If you read ahead of the above schedule, please change the text color to white so you do not give away parts of the plot that the rest of us have not read. Remember, your participation in the discussion will make this a more rewarding experience. Post away! Don't feel as if you need to wait for me to bring up a topic to discuss it. This is your group and there isn't such a thing as a reply that is too little or too big!

Discussion Point 1 - Segregation & Race

Discussion Point 2 - The Role of Women

Discussion Point 3 - Elizabeth Leefolt's Pregnancy

Discussion Point 4 - Violence In & Out of the Home

Discussion Point 5 - Friendship & Flaws (Discussion through Ch. 23)

Discussion Point 6 - Surprising Characters

Discussion Point 7 - Rating the Novel

Discussion Point 8 - Beauty Regimens of the Past & Present

[DisneyKevin]

This looks terrific.

Great job Nikki!!!!

[AnneR]

This one is on my list - may need to get it today!

[Applemomma]

So much for buying this one in paper copy! I already have it in audio!
Might need a few clues again in which part is which

Great choice though.....it's an excellent read and is rich with stuff to discuss!

Can't wait ....off to load it on my mp3 player again!

[Hankshouse]

Awww rats! I just read this with my other book club...but, that said, it is a great read or listen. For those who may be interested, many people I know used the audio version of this book. It's actually being recommended by several "book club guides" due to the wonderful audio portrayals of the various characters in the story. The actors in the audio book do a phenomenal job.

[*NikkiBell*]

For those of you who have already read the novel, feel free to revisit it and take a larger role during our discussions. I always found that reading a book a second time (in parts) caused me to find new things I missed the first time!

[Applemomma]

Originally Posted by Hankshouse

Awww rats! I just read this with my other book club...but, that said, it is a great read or listen. For those who may be interested, many people I know used the audio version of this book. It's actually being recommended by several "book club guides" due to the wonderful audio portrayals of the various characters in the story. The actors in the audio book do a phenomenal job.

Originally Posted by *NikkiBell*

For those of you who have already read the novel, feel free to revisit it and take a larger role during our discussions. I always found that reading a book a second time (in parts) caused me to find new things I missed the first time!

Put it this way....I loved this book enough on audio that the minute it ended I started it again. For me this will be a third read and, you're right Nikki, you definitly get new insights into the story the second time around.

[tanyabanana]

Sounds great Nikki!

[catycatcat4]

I think i might join in on this one!

[KatheeME]

Wonderful pick Nikki, one of my favorite reads of the past year!

[A.Mickey]

Wow! Just checked my library there are 86 holds on this book and there are 36 copies! I think I will try to get my hands on the book a different way.

[*NikkiBell*]

Just so you know, Barnes & Noble has the novel on sale for 30% off right now. I am sure Borders does as well.

I'll post more info. tomorrow. I'd love to get started this week, but want to give everyone a chance to get the book first. Please post here once you have it so I have an idea of who is ready to begin and who is still getting the book.

[tammyroo]

Originally Posted by *NikkiBell*

Just so you know, Barnes & Noble has the novel on sale for 30% off right now. I am sure Borders does as well.

I'll post more info. tomorrow. I'd love to get started this week, but want to give everyone a chance to get the book first. Please post here once you have it so I have an idea of who is ready to begin and who is still getting the book.

I have it and have read it once very recently. Great pick! My DH is reading it now and I'll have to steal it away when he isn't looking to refresh my memory

[robind]

Oh, I'm glad this got chosen, I've had several friends recommending this. Looking forward to it.

[katscradle]

I will check this out tomorrow and see if I can get my hands on a copy from the library.