PRABE Week 4

     After the unfortunate jailing of one of the maids because of a petty theft blown way out or proportion, Skeeter finally has all of the maids she needs to interview for the book. She continues to meet with them in secret and worries that everything will come out in the open at any minute. After dating Stuart for a couple of months, she and her parents are finally invited for dinner at the Senator's home. There, she realizes her father shares her same views about colored people and that Stuart is still in love with his ex-fiance.
     Aibileen has been faithfully facilitating the interviews with Skeeter and the other maids. She continues to work for Miss Leefolt and tells Mae Mobley everyday how special and kind she is. She tells her stories of whites and colored being the same and being friends and the little girl enjoys the stories.
     Minny continues to work for Miss Celia even though she thinks she is a horrible drunk. She soon realizes that the liquid in the brown bottles is not alcohol when she finds Miss Celia sitting in a pool of blood on the bathroom floor. She had been drinking a concoction she hoped would help her keep her baby inside of her but sadly it did not work. She loses baby number 4 in the toilet and begs Minny not to tell her husband.

PRABE Week 3

     This week in The Help, a lot has been going on with the ladies. Skeeter has begun to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. Though writing as Miss Myrna through weekly cleaning advice column is not her ideal writing job, it’s a start.  She is still searching for answers to what happened to Constantine, her childhood maid and the woman that raised her. Sparked by the challenge of a female New York editor, Skeeter has begun to consider different topics to write about. She decides she wants to tell the story of colored maids in the South.
     Aibileen is both nervous and scared to share her stories with Skeeter. It’s improper and dangerous to share such truth and perspective with a white woman but she feels the need to let the stories out. After a lot of pursuing and persuading, Skeeter has Aibileen on board to share her stories. She sees Mae Mobley, her current white baby, and dislikes the woman she will most likely become, she thinks about the death of her son and the emptiness left behind and she thinks of Robert, the colored boy that was beaten blind for using the wrong toilet as she tells her stories. She is worried what would happen if they were caught but she prays that some good comes of it. 
     Minny finds a job with Celia Foote, who for some reason wants, to hide the fact that she hired a maid from her husband.  Minny also begins to tell her stories to Skeeter but she is more harsh and unforgiving than Aibileen. There is a lot of racial tension In Jackson, Mississippi and each time the women meet to share stories, they are risking imprisonment, injury or death. The women are so devoted to having the truth heard and praying that it makes a difference that they continue to meet even after the murder of an NAACP member on his front lawn.

PRABE Week 2

After spending more time this week on The Gift and my eventual "aha" moment that lead to me no longer reading it, I have moved on to The Help. I'm already happy I did. From the beginning, Kathryn Stockett does well to draw the reader into the lives of each of the women she portrays. I feel myself hurting for Aiblieen as returns to work before she's fully mourned the loss of her son. I'm disgusted with Miss Leefolt and her eagerness to please her "friends" yet her unwillingness to offer any love or affection to her own child, Mae Mobley. I hold my breath every time Minny speaks knowing that most times, it will get her in trouble. And yet Miss Skeeter's demeanor and way of thinking, have me both anxious and hopeful.

My "Aha" Moment

I've still been reading The Gift and I’ve still been struggling to like it. There were story lines I didn’t recognize or felt I should know more about, but didn't. I would even backtrack what I read to see if, by chance, I misread something. I had no luck. I decided to do some research of the book to see what others thought about it. That's when my "aha" moment occurred. Apparently Witch & Wizard is a series by James Patterson and Witch & Wizard: The Gift is book 2! It's no wonder I felt so lost. I think when books are in a series, they should be labeled in the order in which they are to be read. Clearly, had I seen a number 2 anywhere on the novel I would have been tipped off and moved right along. I'm not sure if this series is already doomed with me because of the initial lack of interest and confusion but at this point, I am moving on to The Help! :)

Success!!

Persistence has paid off! Another check at the library and I walked out with The Help. I'm so excited to start reading it but am still giving The Gift another chance. I've read at bit more and still not overly interested in the read but I'm trying to see it though. We'll see how much longer I can hold out...

PRABE - Week 1

     I was very excited to be assigned 90 minutes of pleasure reading. Who wouldn't love that? Since my time has been very limited lately, I wanted to make sure I picked a book that was worthy. I decided I wanted to read The Help by Kathryn Stockett but of course our limited, little base library only has three copies and they were all checked out. Then I remembered I'd been meaing to read Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, but of course, checked out again. After checking a few other books and not finding any, I felt defeated. I know I could easily buy the Kindle Editions but I haven't quite warmed up to reading on the iPad.
     After several trips to the library hoping that one of my choices would be there, I gave up and picked a random book. Though I've heard of James Patterson as an author, I've never read any of his novels. With no previous knowledge of Witch & Wizard: The Gift, I left the library with high hopes. So far, I'm having a hard time getting into the story. A sister and brother, Wisty and Whit, are on the run from a New Order (NO) regime that wants to execute the pair for "engaging in free thought and creativity". They are part of a Resistance that is standing up to the NO but have already lost a friend and been on the run. They are on a quest to free the Half-Lights from the Shadowland, the dead spirits of the NO's victims that reside in an alternate plane. Since their parents, Whit's girlfriend and Wisty's best friend have all been sent to the Shadowland their quest is personal and they are determined.