Lately, I've had an obsession with reading books that have been made into movies. I can never read the book when I've already seen the movie: I always have to read the book first. This is probably because books take a lot longer to read, and it's hard for me to get through one knowing exactly what is going to happen. But for some reason, it's really fun to watch a movie bring a book you love to life. When you read a book, the story takes place in your mind, where you imagine the majority of the details, like what the characters look like, what they sound like, what the setting must have felt like. A movie will take the same story and make it more tangible: as if you are actually watching the story unfold. It's a lot different. And it's interesting to see the director's perception of the story and compare it to your own.
It also motivates me to read. I really like the idea of reading-- people who read a lot tend to be smarter. And when I actually start reading through a good book, I enjoy it. But school, in some ways, has made reading feel kind of like a chore to me. I used to view reading as a luxury-- something to do when you want to relax-- but after being forced to read long, tedious textbooks and literature for hours in high school and college, it started to become one of the last things I would like to do after a long day of work. Again, once I start a book I usually enjoy it. But it's just hard to motivate myself to actually start it. I've found that when I give myself a deadline (which in this case is to not allow myself to see the movie until I've finished the book) I'm much more likely to pick it up and start reading. Hopefully someday it will become more of a luxury again. I still consider myself a recent college grad, so I still have hope that it will happen with time. :)
This is why I decided to read the Help. I actually hadn't heard of it before the movie came out, but when I heard that people thought the movie AND the book were incredibly good, I knew that I really wanted to read it. My goal was to have it finished while the movie was still in theaters. Luckily, once I started reading, it was impossible to put it down. My last book, Eat Pray Love, took me about six months to read. Granted, I thought it was a horrible book (no offense to anyone that really liked it) so it took me a little longer than it normally would to read through a book, but I usually kind of pick through books (no matter how good they are) for a few months before I finish it. The Help took me six DAYS. I read it during my lunch break, after work, during rush hour in traffic (only when traffic was completely stopped, don't worry), and even when my friends invited me over to watch a movie. You should know that it's not because I'm a book worm, it was just that good.
To those who haven't read it or seen the movie, I'll give you a brief synopsis. The story takes place during the Civil Rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi. The main character is a young, unmarried girl, Skeeter, who had recently graduate from college and was determined to be a writer. She immediately applies to work at a publishing agency in New York, but is turned down because she doesn't have enough experience. One of the editors, however, tells her to apply for a job at her local newspaper and offers to assist her in brainstorming different story ideas, so that she can move forward and hopefully be qualified someday for her dream job. When she returns to her hometown, Jackson, the majority of her friends are married and have young children. A few times a week, they would get together to play cards, and during one of these gatherings her friend talked about her recent efforts to encourage her neighbors to build separate bathrooms for the African American hired help (who most families paid to assist with cooking, cleaning and taking care of children), in order to prevent white people from catching black "diseases." Skeeter had always been close to her family's help (who had mysteriously disappeared while she was in school), and sympathizes with her friends' help, who were clearly humiliated by the idea. After spending some time with them, she proposes writing a story from their perspective, which her editor says would be interesting in light of the Civil Rights movement-- if she could pull it off. As she begins to interview the few who are willing to take the risk, she uncovers several heartbreaking stories, damages her own reputation, and ultimately begins to expose how selfish and destructive her old friends are to not only the African Americans in their town, but also each other. It was so interesting and powerful and emotional. I would definitely recommend reading it.
After I finished, I went to the movie, which was still in theaters and was equally as good, if not better! I didn't think Brian would be quite as interested to see it, so I made it a girls night and brought Alyssa. I'm really glad I did, because even though I knew everything that was going to happen, it still made me tear up. If I would have brought Brian, he would definitely teased me, but when I turned to Alyssa she had tears streaming down her face. This is one of the many reasons I love her! Anyway, if you don't read the book, you should at least see the movie. They were both incredible. I give it five stars. :)
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