Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Title: The Secret Life of Bees
Genre: Historical Fiction/Coming-of-Age Fiction
Kidd, Sue M. The Secret Life of Bees. Penguin, 2003.
Grade Level: 11th Grade
Pages: 336 pages
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a coming-of-age novel told from the perspective of 14 year old Lily Owens in the year of 1964. Lily runs away from her abusive father with her housemaid, Rosaleen, and finds refuge in the Boatwright sister's home. Through her journey, Lily comes to terms with the loneliness and betrayal she feels from her mother early death and finds a new family with the people she surrounds her with.
Possible Teaching Concerns:
This novel does deal with some pretty horrible abuse between Lily and her father, T-Ray. There are several scenes where the readers witness this abuse inflicted on Lily, and it is extremely heartbreaking. There is also some language used within this novel that is characterized by the time period, and teachers should be aware of that and set standards and guidelines in the classroom to keep it a safe place for all students. There are also elements of suicide in this novel, which teachers should again be aware of in case it might be triggering to anyone in their classrooms.
Personal Reactions:
I loved this book a lot. It made me cry several times. It uses the found family trope which is one of my favorite tropes, and is a book that definitely pulls on your heartstrings. There is so much to talk about with this books. This book is full of themes and symbolism which would be great for discussions in the classroom. I think that I would definitely use this book for a Socratic Seminar in the classroom. I paired it with an older grade because I think this book would foster such great discussion. There is so much to pull from the story and it is a very enjoyable read as well.
Canonical Work:
Beloved by Toni Morrison is a powerful and moving novel about the traumatic history of slavery. It follows the character Sethe, a previously enslaved woman, who is haunted by the ghost of her dead child, Beloved. Although Beloved and The Secret Life of Bees are completely different story lines, both talk about racism and the effects of slavery after it was made illegal in the United States. This are important topics to be addressing in the classroom. The Secret Life of Bees serves as the perfect stepping stop to integrate this classic in the classroom.
Movie Trailer (2008)
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