his summer I had an idea to start a book club here on A Beautiful Heart! Summer = reading so it just made sense. I'm so excited to begin this new feature every month on the blog and I'm calling it #ABHBOOKCLUB. So for the month of July the book I announced a few weeks ago is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. To make it a little more fun and enjoyable to talk about the book, I am going to make a video on my YouTube channel that way a blog post won't be too terribly long. Now, at the end of every video or blog posts (depending on what I choose) I will announce the next book for the upcoming month! This way you can buy the book yourself and join the conversation and put in your comments for me to answer + feature in my video!
The Help was a great book, and I'm so glad I choose it to begin the book club. I hope you all loved it too, and to explain more about the book club and all my ideas, so let's dive into the discussion. Be sure to leave your comments of the book and even the movie if you've seen it, that way we can begin a roaring discussion for the book! Hearing your thoughts are the best part. Yay, for the book club (insert dancing girl emoji here)!!!
The Help was written so well, and I adored it just as much as the movie! I cheated and watched the movie first, so it was just this month that I picked up the book and read it. I love being able to see if a book is better than a movie, and if a movie follows the same idea and climax as the book! So for this month instead of taking completely about the book and everything I loved about it, I'm going to answer a few questions that I was able to pull out from it, and use as a perfect way to talk about the characters and certain moments throughout the story.
1.
Do you think personality is shaped by the community/times a person lives in? Yes I believe a personality is shaped and molded by the times in one lives in. I can see this most in Miss Hilly, because she really treated the blacks so poorly. She didn't view them as human beings with the same privileges, and rights as her family. Your opinions from certain topics grow from the people around you, and what you've been taught/seen your whole life. The same with Hilly. She grew up watching others treat the help with such a mean spirit. How else was she suppose to act? The entire community felt the way she did, therefore she'd lose her reputation if she acted and treated the help anyother way. Her actions however towards the help are not justified just because of the community she lives in, but I think that because of the time/community that she lived in played a huge role in her decisions and opinions.
2.
Do you think Miss Hilly went to far with Minnie's pie? I completely understand why she brought Hilly this pie, but I certainly could never go that far as to seek revenge (or at least that cruel;). The part in the book was truly hilarious, and I loved the way Hilly's mom reacted to the pie!
3.
Who do you think is the bravest character? Most would say Abilene, but personally I would say Skeeter. Skeeter risked her reputation, chance of being caught by the law, and her dream as a female author. She was brave by visiting Abilene in her own home, and accepting her and her stories for who/what they were. She was willing to step foot into a neighborhood where she was the only white woman around.
4.
Favorite part of the whole book? My absolute favorite scene of the entire book, was when Johnny Foote, Celia's husband, was driving home from work and spotted Minnie walking up to his house, and he stopped the car and Minnie began to scream and run away. The fear of being caught and doing something behind his back, scared her so bad. I loved it when Johnny helped her up, and insisted on carrying the grocery's she carried in her hands. To me this is such a beautiful act of accepting Minnie and thanking her for helping his wife. The scene get's even better when they both step inside the house and Celia cooked a beautiful turkey dinner, as a way to honor her husband by providing a home prepared meal, and Minnie for her help. When the three of them sit down for dinner, Johnny pulls out the Minnie's chair and made her feel like more of a special guest than a maid of the home. Ah, I can't say how much I loved this honorable deed.
5.
Theme of the novel? I believe the theme of the book is definitely courage. Courage to stand up for what's right. Courage to express how you feel. Courage to take hold of your dreams and make them real no matter the situations that come up. Courage is most seen through Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minnie.
Comment below, answer these questions for yourself...and let me know how you liked the book! Hope you enjoy this new monthly feature here on the blog!!
p.s. The next book for the month of August is "Introvert's in the Church by Adam S. Mchugh." If you don't own the book then comment below your thoughts about being an introvert or extrovert and share your opinions on the subject to be featured here on the blog!
