An 18 hour car ride home from a grand Disney vaycay with my boy called for a lot of time to kill. Before I left I was given The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd from my mother. Did I have any interest in reading this? The answer is no. See, over the years I have formed a terrible habit of not being able to enjoy any book that does not take place in either L.A. or New York in which the main character is a struggling fashion victim who is turned into a fashionista with a sweet life - usually written by Lauren Weisberger, Emily Giffin, and the like.
However, as the endless miles of the un-scenic Route 95 dragged, I picked up The Secret Life of Bees and indulged. I must say, I am nothing less than satisfied.
For her first book, Monk Kidd presented a truly compelling story of a young white girl, Lily, growing up in a racist 1964 area of South Carolina. She is motherless (for a very horrible reason - READ IT!), and lives with an abusive, unloving father. Lily is raised by one of her family’s former “peach pickers”, Rosaleen. When Rosaleen (who is black) pisses off the most racist men in their town by spitting her snuff spit on their shoes and getting thrown in jail, Lily comes to her rescue and they are on a runaway journey to a location Lily picked for reasons close to her. Her goal=learning about her mother. Rosaleen’s goal=avoiding the law. Ending up in Tiburon, South Carolina, they meet 3 remarkable black sisters and learn a lot about life, love, and Lily’s mother.
To tell you anything else would be giving away what makes the story so special. This book was certainly out of the ordinary for me, and I never would have bought it on my own. I really appreciate the fact that I read something outside of my fantasy world ( oh - and the movie version is coming out in October!). If you are like me, try to open your mind. There are so many good books out there and so much to be learned, mostly about yourself, by reading them.
Em, myself, and some of our closest friends will be swapping books all summer. So far, it has worked out really well. I have read Into the Wild and can’t stop googling Christopher McCandless and his story. Books can truly open your mind and heart. I feel that The Secret Life of Bees softened me to being able to know about what true heartbreak and struggle is and appreciate my life that much more. So, to you I say go to Barnes and Noble, skip over the books with pale pink colors with cool artwork and pick up that book with simply a title and pages. It will change you.
However, as the endless miles of the un-scenic Route 95 dragged, I picked up The Secret Life of Bees and indulged. I must say, I am nothing less than satisfied.
For her first book, Monk Kidd presented a truly compelling story of a young white girl, Lily, growing up in a racist 1964 area of South Carolina. She is motherless (for a very horrible reason - READ IT!), and lives with an abusive, unloving father. Lily is raised by one of her family’s former “peach pickers”, Rosaleen. When Rosaleen (who is black) pisses off the most racist men in their town by spitting her snuff spit on their shoes and getting thrown in jail, Lily comes to her rescue and they are on a runaway journey to a location Lily picked for reasons close to her. Her goal=learning about her mother. Rosaleen’s goal=avoiding the law. Ending up in Tiburon, South Carolina, they meet 3 remarkable black sisters and learn a lot about life, love, and Lily’s mother.
To tell you anything else would be giving away what makes the story so special. This book was certainly out of the ordinary for me, and I never would have bought it on my own. I really appreciate the fact that I read something outside of my fantasy world ( oh - and the movie version is coming out in October!). If you are like me, try to open your mind. There are so many good books out there and so much to be learned, mostly about yourself, by reading them.
Em, myself, and some of our closest friends will be swapping books all summer. So far, it has worked out really well. I have read Into the Wild and can’t stop googling Christopher McCandless and his story. Books can truly open your mind and heart. I feel that The Secret Life of Bees softened me to being able to know about what true heartbreak and struggle is and appreciate my life that much more. So, to you I say go to Barnes and Noble, skip over the books with pale pink colors with cool artwork and pick up that book with simply a title and pages. It will change you.
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