The Help Review from a Southern Girl

"Sometimes Courage skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family."

The Help.

As I watched The Help, I was unaware that I was a week old when the history / the movie took place. For some reason, I thought the movie was before my time.

"You're Kind. You're Smart. You're Important!" Aibileen

I am a New Orleanian - raised three hours from Jackson, Mississippi where The Help was filmed. My children were born an hour and a half south of Jackson, Mississippi.

In the South, I like Kathryn Stockett, was raised where we didn't talk about these things. Much like I find myself not talking to our children about things that are awful and wrong about the world today.

New Orleans is also four hours from Birmingham, Alabama where the same year, the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. I remember the day I read about this as a thirtysomething Mom of Twins as I sat on the floor of the library with my children looking at books...how in all of my education all the way through college had I never heard this?

Much like Skeeter wondered how "the Help" felt... I've often wondered how my mother (parents) felt raising four girls and a boy with all of this mayhem. The same year and eight hours the other direction, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. And his assailant was suspected to be in NOLA. I think I know how my Daddy felt, we moved to the country, raised on two acres, outside of NOLA a few years later.

My thoughts after a mix of emotions during the Help:

1) My experience growing up was more of the Help relationship of Cecile and Minnie. Positive and congenial. May I say Friendship.

2) My Daddy left me with the idea that it is the right thing to do to help others not that they were "blessed to have us."

3) Any Help that we had growing up, never raised me or took the place of my Mother. This made me cry in the movie.

4) The Help made me relish EVERY MINUTE I spend with my precious children.

5) I was right when after one Junior League meeting in New Orleans, I didn't go back, didn't join the Junior League. For me, this was good. :)

6) Right is Right and the Help reminded me that people should be loved and respected no matter their race, creed or color.

7) The problems in The Help are not Southern problems and prejudices, these attitudes are Planet Earth problems and prejudices and they are alive and well today in any community if we let them be.

8) I am thankful for parents that raised me to believe people are more important than things.

9) The Help made me grateful for an Attorney father who helped others no matter who they were.

10) Memories came back to me of the africian american church my Daddy took our family to visit. The Choir and music was inspirational like nothing else. My Daddy used to buy the CD's of the their children's choir for us.

11) Like the ladies that Katie Couric interviews with Kathryn Stockett from Jackson, Mississippi, I was not aware that these things were going on. I grew up without knowing these things. How....

For me one of the most personal and moving relationships was the mother daughter relationship of Skeeter and her Mom. A daughter seeing things as they are even if they are not right; and a mother wanting to make things right. The second time.

"Sometimes Courage skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family."

What are your thoughts about The Help? What Stirred you?

May we all have the Courage to make changes and that we all may love and respect one another no matter.

To all The Help and their families, I am sorry any of this ever happened.

Remember, "You're Kind. You're Smart. You're Important!" Aibileen & Me :)

Warmly, Carolina Mama