In The Help, what are some of the issues raised by the fact that a white woman is the author and a contributor to a book about the experiences of...

The Help is set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. The Jim Crow laws are still in effect in the Deep South. Black and white people aren’t supposed to socialize or fraternize with one another. Many services are still kept separate. Black people have their own library and doctors. Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny are risking a lot when Skeeter meets them at Aibileen’s house at night to write down their stories. All of them could get into trouble with the authorities, especially the black women. Trust is also an issue. Can the black maids trust Skeeter to report the truth as they tell it to her? Or will she feel free to spin their tales in a way that will always make the white employers look good?

The black maids eventually realize Skeeter is not like the other women in the Jackson Junior League. She is truly interested in reporting fairly on the lifestyle arrangement they have all been sharing together, although it’s one they never talk about. She is giving them an outlet to let the truth come out.