This book started off slow and stayed that way, until about 50 pages before the ending. That's when the writer finally started showing more emotion, and I could get more involved in the characters' lives. Until then, though, it was BRUTAL! I had a very difficult time finishing the book, but I finally did. The chapters are waaaay too long, which makes the reading that much harder.

This was a super book! It's the 1960s in Mississippi. The story is written from the points of view of three different women: two black maids and one white upper class woman. The white woman convinces the two maids (as well as about 10 or so others) to tell her their stories about working for whites so she can write a book about the South's treatment of blacks. Lots of food for thought...

I was concerned that I might not like this book. I was so wrong! I loved the way it was written as a series of letters. Yes, you might not learn quite as much about some of the characters because of this format, but I found my own imagination kind of "filling in the blanks" where necessary. This was a really hard book to put down. I kept telling myself, "Just another letter, then I'll stop reading for now." But then, I'd find myself reading more and more! Also, it was nice to learn so much WWII history.