I am reading "The Secret Life Of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. Lily Owens is a 14 year old girl who lives with her abusive father, T-Ray, and housekeeper, Rosaleen. When Lily was 4 years old, her mother was shot and killed. When the civil rights act is passed, Rosaleen decided to register to vote, encountering trouble along the way. Rosaleen and Lily decide to escape their home of Sylvan, South California, to try and find work, and truly a better place to live. They come across a hot-pink house, with beekeepers living inside. Lily and Rosaleen earn a little money, and become part of the family. Everything is well untill T-Ray finds the girls, and demands to take them back to their home. Lily finds out her mother left her, to live at this very same house, and falls into deep depression. Eventually T-Ray decides to let Lily and Rosaleen stay in the honey house, as it is the best for her future.
"The Secret Life Of Bees" is a coming of age tale about, love, war and rights. Sue Monk Kidd takes you on a ride of a 14 year old girl who is living a rough life. When she was young, her mother was shot and killed, and due to that, her father has become very abusive. During all of this, black people were just getting the right to vote, so their housekeeper, Rosaleen, decides to try to vote, no matter the risks. I feel like Lily is a very relatable character, and when I am turning the pages to her story, I feel like I am right there with her. Sue Monk Kidd shot you right into the time zone they were in, and you could feel all the hate, blood, and anger of the civil rights act, and how strong the Negroes were. This is a time period everyone should be educated in. It is a fabulous book about the lust for love, and how peace finds itself in the end. I would highly recommend this book.
Hey, I've read this book! It's really good isn't it? I usually prefer futuristic books over ones that take place in the past, however this one is an exception. I agreed with you when you said:
ReplyDelete"I feel like Lily is a very relatable character, and when I am turning the pages to her story, I feel like I am right there with her. Sue Monk Kidd shot you right into the time zone they were in, and you could feel all the hate, blood, and anger of the civil rights act, and how strong the Negroes were. This is a time period everyone should be educated in."
Overall, I think you did a great job on this blog post, and I am glad you enjoyed the book.
- From Tati, with love.
This seems like a really good book. Why exactly is it called "The secret life of bees?" Does it tell you directly in the story or is it implied? I think historical fiction that talk about the types of horrors there are in the world are the most effective. If this book is anything like how you've described here than another book you might like is the white pine book "Shattered" or the "non-white pine" book "Wounded". They're both by Eric Walters and have a common theme. They both are about a soldier dealing with PTSD. Anyway, good post.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really good summary of the book. It sounds a little like the movie 'The Help' in a way. I was wondering the same thing as Josh, is there a reason it is called ' The Secret Life of Bees'?
ReplyDeleteOverall, good job (:
Just be careful about how you word some sentences, like in the first sentence when you are saying who Lily lives with. You said 'lives with her abusive father, T-ray, and housekeeper, Rosaleen.' For someone who hasn't read this story, they make think you're saying that Rosaleen and T-ray were both abusive, not that it was only her father. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jayden, if you ever read this comment, there is a reason it's called The Secret Life of Bees. Throughout the story, little things are hinted at on how the lives of bees are similar to our lives.