The Help Resources

Book recommendations, a biography, reading groups, and much more…

Want to know more about the Jim Crow laws mentioned in the novel? This interactive series from PBS is a good place to start.

The passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 (the same year The Help ends) was a huge moment in the history of civil rights in the U.S. This website provides lots of links to more info on it and on the history of civil rights in the U.S.

Find yourself hungry for caramel cake after reading The Help? You are not alone. Kathryn Stockett gets lots of requests, and is nice enough to provide the icing recipe on her website.

Not sure what to think of the black voices in The Help? This website will help you form an educated opinion.

Here's another website with good information on African American dialects.

The book is being made into a film by Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks Pictures.

Claire Suddath interviews Kathryn Stockett for Time magazine.

Stockett writes about her fascinating life. We hope she decides to go long and give us the full bio soon.

The Root takes Kathryn Stockett to lunch to talk about The Help.

This conversation with Kathryn Stockett has intriguing answers to lots of questions about The Help and how it came to be.

Spencer talks about her role as Minny Jackson in the film version, and discusses the controversy over the novel's use of southern dialect for black characters.

Janet Maslin's review of The Help for the New York Times.

This article has quite a bit of interesting biographical info on Stockett and her family.

Check out Kathryn Stockett and Octavia Spencer at Warwick's Books.

Katie Couric interviews Kathryn Stockett for CBS News.

Katie visits with a book club in Jackson, Mississippi, to hear reactions to The Help.

Listen to the audio version of this "All Things Considered" story on Stockett and The Help.

The audio book won a 2010 Audie award for Distinguished Achievement in Production, and is a truly fantastic audio book experience.  Click "Play Sample," under the image of the audio book.

This is the scene in which Minny and Celia Rae Foote eat chicken together, before they are friends, when Minny mistakenly thinks Celia is a big drunk. It's read by Octavia Spencer (of Ugly Betty fame), who inspired the character of Minny, and who plays her in the movie. Enjoy!

Author Kathryn Stockett has a cameo role in the film version of her novel.  We just hope she doesn't give up novel-writing for acting.

Posed photo? You bet.

We think the three little birds are meant to represent the novel's three main narrators, all who daringly sing the truth.

This cover was considered too controversial for the US release. Do you agree? Read more about it in "Trivia."

This is the magazine cover referenced in the novel, featuring the funeral of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Can't wait for The Help to hit the big screen? This slideshow will only whet your appetite.