Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Kathryn Stockett goes by the nickname "Kitty," but she won't mind if you call her Kathryn (source).
Skeeter and Constantine's relationship and Mae Mobley and Aibileen's are inspired by Stockett's relationship with the black woman who cared for her as a child, Demetrie (source).
The British cover of The Help features a photo of two black women in white maid's uniforms on either side of a little white girl in a pushchair (a stroller for big-kids). The photo is from The National Congress archives, and was considered too controversial for the US cover (source). Why do you think that is? (PS: check out the cover under "Best of the Web.")
Stockett never imagined her book as a bestseller and says she might have written it differently if she had known that gazillions of people would read it! (source).
The film version of The Help is a collaboration between Stockett and several of her childhood friends, also natives of Mississippi (source).
Actress Octavia Spencer has been cast as Minny. This is a good thing, because Minny was actually inspired by Spencer, who is friends with Stockett (source).
Nearly fifty literary agents rejected The Help. It took Stockett five years to find one to represent her (source). Bet those rejecters are crying now – every time they look at the bestseller lists.