Set in South Carolina in 1964, the same year the Civil Rights Act came into action, “The Secret Life of Bees,” by Sue Monk Kidd, is the story of a little girl learning and growing into becoming a woman.Lily Owens is a fourteen-year-old outcast at school, wearing second-hand clothes and never really fitting in with the more popular girls. Lily’s mother died mysteriously when she was four years old, and her father, who prefers she call him T. Ray instead of Dad, has been torturing her for as long as she can remember.
He makes her wait on him hand and foot, and punishes her in the most cruel way whenever he thinks she even puts even a toe out of line. Although she is white, she has an African-American nanny named Rosaleen, who looks out for her and tries her hardest to keep T. Ray from causing any harm to her.
Rosaleen is also a little outspoken and instead of backing down from a confrontation with four of the most racist white men in town, she spits at them and lands herself in jail. Knowing that the men are planning on killing her, Lily makes a daring move and busts her out of prison, running away from her father and into a town that may hold the truth about her mother’s death.
She and Rosaleen end up staying in the home of three eccentric women beekeepers, who make and sell Black Madonna Honey, a label Lily recognizes from her mother’s possessions.
While staying with these women, Lily learns the values of equality, truth, and honesty. I personally think this is a great book that was made not just for any particular race or gender, but for every single one of us to enjoy.