It’s 5:30 AM and I’m sitting in a hotel room in Scottsdale, AZ with tears streaming down my face. I got up early to finish The Help. I saved the last chapter to be savored over a cup of coffee this morning. In the quiet. A time set aside just for the purpose of this very moment – to read the last few pages of a book I’ve loved. I think my favorite part of a book is the end. That moment when you’ve got to say ‘goodbye’ to the friends you’ve made. Goodbye to the world you’ve lived in for the past few days. I always save the last few pages for a quiet, sacred time no one can interrupt.
I have a ritual. After the last page, I hold the book to my chest and often, I weep. I weep for the glimpse into the lives of other people – into their world….their way. I feel the intimacy I’ve felt with those characters in the book. I love that moment when I can hold them close to my heart – and connect with them for that last time before the book goes back onto the shelf, or passed onto someone who I know will love it as much as I did.
So this morning I cheered with Abileen and Minny and Miss Skeeter. My heart broke for Mae Mobley and Lil Man. My spirit soared that I could be touched in such deep places by black ink on white paper……by the stories of black women in a white woman’s world….
If you want a genuine read….go get it…you’ll be glad you did.