The story which takes place In Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 explores the relationship of the black help and the white children they primarily raise and their relationships with their white employees. I've had other books and titles I could mention, but this was one of my favorite books of all times. I found that I could relate to many of the characters for various reasons. However, this book also reaffirmed that strong Black women can make a difference in the lives or futures of white children--even those from privileged backgrounds. I had often questioned whether I was doing the best service as an educator working with primarily white privileged children as versus more children who "looked like me" and/or had not had the luxury of an education like we provide at DCD. The wittiness, humor, and grit of the women were all identifiable to me in people I knew and admired in my family and hopefully in myself. The "help" dealt with various adversities which I could parallel to a much lesser extent to being "one of the only" in several of my life's journeys, including those as an educator. The most obvious thread of this book though--the systemic racism and prejudice angered me, but also reinforced my belief that children of all colors need to learn about injustices past and present.