sandidez

I couldn't put this book down (and I actually had time to read it pretty much non-stop over the Christmas holiday!) The novel is written from the perspective of three main characters: two "colored" maids and one young, wealthy, white woman who all live in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. The maids worked hard and even raised white children, but are often under-appreciated, and sometimes treated downright horrendously. The era of segregation and the civil rights movement makes for some tense moments. The novel hit home to me, for as a child (in the 60's), my maternal grandmother employed a nice woman named Camilla who came on occasion to "help" with chores around the house, including ironing linens and polishing silver. I believe that my great aunt, Mildred, used Camilla's services more regularly...perhaps a day or two each week. My mother told me that Aunt Mildred made Camilla eat in the kitchen, and I do remember that she also used only the back door. I don't know where Camilla used the bathroom. I do remember thinking that she was SOOOO nice, though. And sometimes she would bring her daughter with her, who was my age, and we would play. They were the first African-American people I remember meeting. My paternal grandparents also had "help." I can't remember their names, but I believe they were a couple...the woman helped with housework and the man helped outdoors. I don't think my grandparents ever treated their help as poorly as some in the novel, but I do think the prevailing attitude was that the "colored" people weren't as good as we were, that they had their place in society....how wrong and sad! Overall, this was a meaningful look at racial tensions and attitudes during the civil rights era. It made me think and examine my own family history (and this part does NOT make me proud). Highly recommended!

2023-07-23 12:12