nomadreader

The basics: Set in 1946, shortly after the end of World War II, The Secret of Magic  is the story of the death of Joe Howard Wilson, a young black man who was returning home to Mississippi after serving in the war. M.L. Calhoun, the notoriously reclusive author of The Secret of Magic, who is from the same town as Joe Howard, writes to the NAACP. Young, African-American NAACP lawyer Regina Robichaud, who loved Calhoun's book as a child, convinces Thurgood Marshall to let her go investigate Joe Howard's death. My thoughts: I'm a huge fan of both novels based on real events and novels about racial and gender equality, so I was very excited to read The Secret of Magic . The novel begins with the last moments of Joe Howard's life. It was difficult to read, but I appreciated how it set the stage and gave him a voice and personality. When the action shifted to Regina in New York City, I hoped for a heroine like Alice in Scottsboro . But too soon Regina began to drive me a b...

The backstory:  The Help  was longlisted for the 2010  Orange Prize . It's also now a movie. My thoughts:  Oh,  The Help . I wanted to like you so much.  Bloggers  I  almost always   agree with  all  loved it . As most of the reading public is familiar with The Help  and has probably read it, this review will be frank about the novel and may include spoilers for people who somehow have never heard of it. I fully admit it: I'm not normally a fan of Southern fiction. Despite living in Atlanta for thirteen years, I never developed a love for Southern fiction or culture. Southern food, however, I fully embraced. I picked up  The Help  once before a few years ago and only made it a few pages because of the Southern speak. This time I persevered, but I found it all rather dull. I did really like the character of Skeeter. I'm often drawn to idealistic young female characters who dream of being a writer, so that c...