The Secret Life of Bees

1. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

2. Description • Living on a peach farm in _______with her harsh, unyielding father, _______has shaped her entire life around one devastating, blurred memory--the afternoon her ___________, when Lily was _______. • Since then, her only real companion has been the fierce-hearted, and sometimes just fierce, black woman _________, who acts as her "stand-in mother."

3. Description, cont. • When Rosaleen insults three of the deepest _________ in town, Lily knows it's time to spring them both free. • They take off in the only direction Lily can think of, toward a town called __________, South Carolina--a name she found on the back of a picture amid the few possessions left by her mother.

4. Description, cont. • There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters named ______, _________, and ____________. • Lily thinks of them as the ____________ sisters and enters their mesmerizing secret world of bees and honey, and of the Black Madonna who presides over this household of strong, wise women. • Maternal loss and betrayal, guilt and forgiveness entwine in a story that leads Lily to the single thing her heart longs for most.

5. Description, cont. • The Secret Life of Bees has a rare wisdom about life--about mothers and daughters and the women in our lives who become our true mothers. • A remarkable story about the divine power of women and the transforming power of love, this is a stunning debut whose rich, assured, irresistible voice gathers us up and doesn't let go, not for a moment.

6. Connecting with the Novel

7. The South • List 5 things you know about the American South. • Next, share your list with your tablemates and see how many items you have in common. • What is at least one new thing you learned about the South from a tablemate?

8. Bees • List 5 things you know about bees. • Next, share your list with your tablemates and see how many items you have in common. • What is at least one new thing you learned about bees from a tablemate?

9. Role Models, Mentors, and Parent Figures • Who is the most influential adult in your life? • What makes that person so important to you? • What character traits does that person embody that makes him or her so significant and special? • If you are comfortable, share your thoughts with your tablemates OR everyone share what traits make a person a role model or mentor.