The Secret Life of Bees

You'll either love it or detest its sickly sweetness say Amazon reviews. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid is a new bestseller telling the story of a 14-year old girl brought up by three beekeeping sisters. The novel contains many analogies to bees.

It is the story of a young girl's search for redemption, for the mother she lost, and the love she needs. Set in the south, just after the passage of the Civil Rights Amendment, and in the midst of the racial conflict of that era, Lily's issues become even more essential to understand. As a young white girl surrounded by the love and care of African-American women, Lily's confusion over racism and its impact on the lives of those she loves is heartbreaking: “and for the very life of me, I couldn't understand how it had turned out this way, how colored women had become the lowest ones on the totem pole. You only had to look at them to see how special they were, like hidden royalty among us.”