The Help

The Help was a novel published in 2009. However, like many others, I didn’t notice it until the film adaptation became a major hit in 2011.

The story took place in the 1960s. At that time, racial discrimination was rampant in the States even though the Civil Right Movement had been gradually catching public attention. Black women used to work as housemaids for white families. The housemaids often raised white kids only to be looked down on after they grew up. While the housemaids did all the housework, they were not fairly treated and had to face distrust of the entire society. Although the protagonist, Skeeter was a wealthy white girl, she empathized with the black. She decided to write a book about the maids to show the white that they should pay more attention to equal rights. The story was mainly about how Skeeter got to know more about the difficulties that the black faced as she worked on the book, which deeply impacted the society when published.

Many of the issues raised in the book still exist in today’s world. In Taiwan, we see lots of children raised by housemaids from Southeast Asia. However, the society as a whole is simply not mature enough to treat these helpers from abroad as equal. We have been relying more and more on their assistance without paying them the most basic reward --- respect.

I read the book before I saw the movie. Both of them are good and provide food for thoughts. I hope you enjoy them too.

Trailer

One Hundred Names

Today I want to introduce to you a book that I stumbled on last week at Eslite bookstore, One Hundred Names. It is written by Ceclia Ahern. Ceclia is an internationally bestselling author. Her most popular work, P.S. I Love You, moved millions are people into tears.

One Hundred Names is also a very touching novel. The protagonist, Kitty, worked as a journalist. Aside from writing columns for a magazine, she hosted a popular TV show. Although the show made her famous, it also got her trapped in a scandal. At the lowest point in her career, Kitty’s mentor, Constance, passed away. Constance was the Chief Editor of the magazine. She left behind a list of a hundred names to Kitty. The list was an answer to Kitty’s last question to Constance: What is the one story you always wanted to write?

Without any other hints, Kitty had to reach out to all the people on the list and tried to find the link between their stories. In the end, Kitty realized that the names were picked at random. The theme of Constance report was really simple: Everyone has a story worth sharing.

As an ex-journalist, I have encountered many interviewees who insisted that their stories didn’t worth public attention. Interestingly, though, their stories are in fact the ones that I remember the most clearly. I truly believe that our stories are all unique and we should be proud of them. On a different note, I think the novel gives us another lesson. We should treasure every chance that we get to listen to other people’s stories because their stories can be as fascinating as those of a celebrity.

Cecilia talks about One Hundred Names on BBC Breakfast:

P.S. A book fair is taking place on the 3rd floor of Eslite (the one across from NTU). The books are sold at discounts. You can check that out by Oct. 26.  

Nineteen Minutes

Some of you may have seen the movie, My Sister’s Keeper (2009)(《姊姊的守護者》). It was a big hit adapted from Jodi Picoult’s famous work. My Sister’s Keeper is my first JP book. However, it is not my favorite. (It’s a bit funny that I tend to like books that are less famous. It’s not that My Sister’s Keeper isn’t a good book. I just don’t like the ending.)

My favorite are Nineteen Minutes(《事發的19分鐘》) and Perfect Match. The former is my focus today. Last Friday, a shooting took place at Northern Arizona University, USA. Americans are not unfamiliar with such brutal scenes. In Nineteen Minutes, the story began with a similar event on campus. The only difference is that the criminal was only 17 years old. Peter was a high school student constantly bullied by classmates. He never fought back, which was probably why others had never felt his anger. Peter finally went out of control and shot his classmates dead. The event changed everyone’s life.

Jodi worked as a prosecutor before she started writing. Therefore, she had dealt with countless controversial cases, and thus got many chances to scrutinize people. I think that is why she is a very good storyteller. The reason that I prefer Nineteen Minutes to her other works is that the issue of bullying at school is a commonplace and this makes it easier to resonate with the characters. The story reminds us that we too often neglect others’ feelings and forget to care for people around us. 

Jodi Picoult - Nineteen Minutes Book Trailer

Reference: http://www.jodipicoult.com/nineteen-minutes.html#more

Gone Girl

After introducing The Wedding Girl last week, I would like to recommend another book related to lies in marriage, Gone Girl(《控制》). Gone Girl is a bestselling book that was adapted into a movie last year, which made many couples think twice before they leaped into marriage.

I bought the book without noticing that it had been a big hit even in Taiwan. I was on a business trip in the States and simply picked it up from the bookshelf for its beautiful cover when shopping at Barnes & Noble with my colleagues.

The story was mainly about a wife plotting against her husband. Amy pretended that she had been killed and intentionally left evidence that would point to her husband, Nick. To get himself out of trouble, Nick had to trace down all the evidence to find out the truth before the police. He ended up realizing that he had been married to a merciless lunatic.

I haven’t seen the movie but most of my friends who have prefer the book. I like the way the author switch narrators from chapter to chapter. In other words, the story is sometimes told by Nick, and sometimes by Amy, allowing readers to read both protagonists’ minds. This is something that is hard to present in a movie, and yet the techniques make the novel extremely intriguing when used spontaneously.