I’ve never written a review before but after reading various reviews I decided to give this a try. I found this book to be entertaining and a fun, easy read. It did not open up my eyes to the treatment of blacks in the south, nor did I find it very thought-provoking. I do agree with vernaculars used in the book – there is very much a class issue there. Those of the upper-crust spoke well, those of the lower-crust did not.

I think it’s important to see this book for what it is – a good, easy read. There is no hidden truth in this book. The author was attempting to explore her own complicated relationship with her maid. It is obvious that she did not do much research and that she wrote from a very narrow view point.

It does, however, open the doors to other books. It makes you think about these women and their culture. Too often in books the help is just relegated to the background. Here the author discussed their churches, their life, their neighborhoods. It showed that these women had the same struggles, the same wants. I found it upsetting that black men were mostly portrayed negatively. The few that were portrayed in a positive manner were used to provoke tragedy – as if the “white man” kills or maims the only “good” black men available.

I recommend reading this book with those flaws in mind. Read it as a work of fiction and not one of enlightenment. If you find it interesting then I recommend you look for other books at the black/white dilemma – Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, W. E. B. Dubois. Read one book from a white’s perspective, read one from a black’s.
Elegy City Lights Prayer

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