Kathryn Stockett’s novel, The Help, swept the boards at the 2009 Exclusive Books Boeke Prize Awards, held yesterday at a glamorous lunch for bibliophiles at Pomodoro in the new Morningside Shopping Centre.
The awards were the culmination of a six week competition in which top book reviewers and Exclusive Books Fanatics members were asked to read the following six shortlisted titles and to then vote for their favourite reads:
- The Help, Kathryn Stockett
- Testimony, Anita Shreve
- The Angel’s Game, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
- The Children’s Book, A.S Byatt
- The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, Reif Larsen
- The Help stole Fanatics and journalists’ hearts, scooping first place by a large margin of over 40% of the votes, followed by The Angel’s Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and The Children’s Book, by A.S Byatt in third place.
To celebrate the winner of the 2009 Boeke Award, Fanatics members will earn 350 bonus points when you purchase The Help until 18th October.
The Help is set in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi, a place where lines are clearly drawn and never crossed. A place where black women, like wise Aibileen and sassy Minny, raise white babies and cook in kitchens while white madams play bridge or belong to the Junior League where bossy bullies, like Hilly, rule the roost. It is a place where black women have no voice and where the likes of Hilly decide who is allowed into society circles and who should be snubbed. But Jackson is also a place where things are starting to change...
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the rules by which we abide, and those we don't.
“Kathryn Stockett’s ‘The Help’ has significant resonance for those brought up in SA, often spending a great deal of time being brought up by black ‘nannies’ or ‘help’. The complex and complicated relationships between these women, their employers and their charges are skilfully drawn and the many issues that emerge are dealt with courageously” - Fiona Ramsay
“The Help features a moving examination of themes most South Africans are only too familiar with.” - Bruce Dennill, The Citizen
About the Author
Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and daughter. The Help is Kathryn’s first novel and is garnering the most amazing reviews from around the world. Visit http://www.kathrynstockett.com/
www.fanatics.co.za
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