I give this novel 2.5 stars (almost three, here's why)

This book was recommended to me by a colleague who felt that it is a work of literature that addresses systemic racism in the light of all the books being banned due to "critical race theory".

I read this book and at first, was repelled by its cliches and shameless depictions of the worn out magical negro trope.

The book centers around a 14 year old girl named Lily (a white girl, and was she purposely named Lily to represent Lily white, or lily whiteness, I wonder?) and her nanny, Rosaleen who run away to Tiburon, South Carolina.

Rosaleen has been beaten up by three racists after she stands up to them and tells them of her plans to register to vote; and Lily blames herself for the mysterious gunshot that supposedly killed her mother, Deborah. Lily and Rosaleen also escape Lily's cruel father, T-Ray, an all out racist.

When Rosaleen and Lily reach Tiburon, they meet the Boatwright sisters, all magical in their own ways. Proud and pragmatic August, head beekeeper; June, uptight and musically inclined and May, who is mentally unstable complete with her wailing wall.

Lily and Rosaleen settle in at the care of the Boatwright women, and I could not help but feel that this novel was written with the magical negro trope that these black women are all there to teach Lily a lesson about race and family.

Since this her story, Lily learns about the complexities of life: how bees are treated and kept (the cycle of life and death); falling for Zach, a black boy who helps August with her work (interracial relationships!), I felt that Ms. Kidd wants us to sympathize with how Lily has implicit bias at first and unaware of her white privilege, then becomes awakened after time with the Boatwright sisters.

its an example of a book that really glossed over the hideous legacies of slavery and the Jim Crow South by creating a white narrator in Lily that looks at growing up in the South quite fondly.

This book annoyed me to no end...

BUT.....

If there is anything redeeming about this novel, I have taught it to teenagers who relate to both Lily and the Boatwright sisters. The historical background to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the violence Rosaleen experiences is something students empathize and are outraged with.

For a book that is about teaching the end of Jim Crow, and the start of desegregation- it is a good teaching tool. There are passages that are humorous and the dialogue and language between the Boatwrights with Lily are all very sweet.

There is a fine film version, starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Paul Bettany that I actually find better than the book.

Reading the Secret Life of Bees is like meeting the best friend of your childhood within the confines of 302 pages of prose. Lily Owens is a 14-year-old girl who only wants a place to belong after running away from her miserable father with her black nursemaid Rosaleen. With nowhere else to go, Lily and Rosaleen are taken in by three eccentric sisters: black beekeepers who hold the clues to Lily’s past, and quite possibly her future. Expertly set in 1964 in the heart of the American South, Lily witnesses the everyday atrocities of a society in which color matters and fairness doesn’t.

Lily’s narrative voice is so strong in this piece that we are taken through her world as if it were our own. Lily desperately wants to be understood and through her moving narration we live her life and understand. We wince as her father makes her kneel on dry grits. We hold our breaths as she breaks Rosaleen out of jail for standing up to a racist policeman. We feel her longing as she searches for clues to her mother’s past. We are ashamed as she discovers the prejudices she harbors against her new friends. We wonder as bees keep popping up in her life and become intertwined with her quest to find a home. We smile as she learns to find happiness. The exceptional setting and sensory cues place you in her world, and Lily’s voice places you in her life. True and insightful, conflicted and strong, she is certainly one of the best narrators I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Some say blood is thicker than water, and some say honey is thicker than blood. This story proves the latter. This historical fiction coming-of-age drama was an empowering read. It was so beautifully written with underlying trauma, pain, and injustice but also dripping with honey sweet moments depicting the true power of women and sisterhood.

Amid the gentle humming of the bees also came the stings. I must say I read one of the saddest book scenes I’ve ever read, and I swear it went on in slow motion for about two……………..whole…………pages. My heart physically ached by the time I was done, and I was left sitting there in shock.

All that aside, the characters instantly found a place in my heart. They were all charming and real. When the Boatwright sisters were introduced in the story, it got even more interesting. I absolutely adored the calendar girls (June, August, and May).

And I admit I was a bit shy about the topic of bees due to my profound lack of knowledge. Who knew there are so many uses for honey!? If you read and enjoyed “The Help” then this is a must read!

I’m off to watch the movie now and can’t wait to see this on screen!