The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd

Hey Everyone! What another great meeting we had. We discussed The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. This story is about a young girl called Lily, who leaves an unhappy home and an abusive father to set out for a place she’s never been – a town called Tiburon in South Carolina. She’s only seen a reference to it on the back of a picture of a black Virgin Mary. This picture was one of the few possessions she has from her mother, who died when she was only four years old. Lily runs away with Rosaleen, an African-American maid who has basically raised her while her father was taking care of the peach farm. Rosaleen had been beaten when she tried to vote, beaten seriously enough to land her in the hospital, so Lily sneaks her out of the hospital and they find their way to Tiburon, South Carolina. 

When they get to Tiburon, they find the black Virgin Mary picture is on labels for Black Madonna Honey and the honey is produced by three black sisters who share a passion for bees. Lily and Rosaleen end up staying with the three sisters, August, June and May. Lily learns about bees and something else – her mother had been there before, just like her. Lily finds solace with the sisters and she ends up gaining a new family.

Obviously there’s a lot to the story but if I were to give a synopsis of the book down to a few sentences, I would say it’s about the power of women when they come together in their homes and their communities. It’s about the ability of women to mother themselves and each other. Oh, and did I mention you’ll also learn a lot about bees? Totally fascinating!!

So if you haven’t read the book, pick it up. It’s a quick read and you’ll love the story. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it! Now on to some other news. As mentioned in the meeting, neither Mike nor I will be at our
Mar 27th meeting to discuss Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann.  Amy has agreed to lead the discussion. Amy did this once before and she was outstanding, so thanks to Amy for volunteering again. Thank you Amy!!  Anyone able to show up about 3:30 pm to help set up the tables and chairs is appreciated. Also includes taking them down at the end of the meeting. Thanks so much!