The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The nice thing about having a library in my house is that I fill the shelves with books that sound good to me, but by the time I pick them up, I have forgotten what the premise is.  Since I know the books all intrigued me at one time, I often choose just by title and cover, letting myself be surprised.

I expected something completely different when I opened this book.  I expected something light and easy.  Instead, the pages were filled with trauma, racism, a ton of kick-ass strong, honorable women, and of course, bees.  It was a great book.

The premise: Lily is a young girl, being raised by her abusive father. The story really starts when Lily and Rosaleen (her black mother figure) run into trouble with three racist men.  Lily and Rosaleen escape town and head to Tiburon, SC because Lily knows her mother had a connection to the town. 

Here Lily and Rosaleen meet an incredibly strong group of sisters, August, June and May.  These strong black women teach Lily about love, faith, community and bee keeping.