The Secret Life Of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd - 994 Words

Sue Monk Kidd is a writer from Southern Georgia. She is best known for her most influential piece of writing, The Secret Life of Bees, which has found its way into many classrooms across the country. Many of her fiction novels have tackled controversial and well known issues and themes of the South over the course of history. Life Before Writing Born in Albany, Georgia on August 12, 1948, Kidd grew up in Sylvester, Georgia specifically in Worth County. Her father and English teachers encouraged her to write, and through this, she discovered her affinity for writing nonfiction. She then graduated from Worth County High School and pursued college in Texas. Before writing her first book, Kidd attended, and graduated from, the Texas†¦show more content†¦But possibly her most renowned novel is The Secret Life of Bees. The Secret Life of Bees Viking Books published Kidd’s first fictional novel, The Secret Life of Bees, in 2002, and according to Kidd, it was â€Å"deeply influenced† by her hometown of Sylvester, Georgia, although it takes place in South Carolina. The novel has sold approximately 8 million copies worldwide, and previously remained on the New York Times’ bestseller list for more than two years. Currently, it is available in 36 different languages, and has won a multitude of awards, both in the U.S. and in other countries. Originally adapted into play-form and performed numerous times by The American Place Theater, Fox Searchlight picked up the book in 2008 and produced it into a movie. Starring well known celebrities such as Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, and Alicia Keys, the People’s Choice Awards and NAACP awarded the movie Best Picture and Best Movie, respectfully. Kidd’s familiarity with the South has been useful in both her writing of The Secret Life of Bees and with the subsequent movie. Interestingly enough, although Kidd herself grew up in Georgia, the book takes place in South Carolina, and production for the movie occurred in North Carolina. She was able to adapt to the various Southern environments with ease, a skill attributed to both her previous experiences in college as well as her coming-of-age in the rural South. Inspired By Experience As with The SecretShow MoreRelated The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 748 Words   |  3 Pagesmemories, Lily Owens finds comfort in the humming of the bees. In the novel, The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd writes about the life of young girl whose spontaneous decisions lead her to her mother’s past. Lily’s life has revolved around the lack of a mother. Her father, T. Ray, is a harsh and unloving peach farmer who punishes Lily unreasonably and does not fulfil his father like position. Lily’s adventure begins after catching a few bees in a jar. She empathizes with them as they are stuck andRead MoreThe Secret Life Of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd2091 Words   |  9 Pagesshared with the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. In her historical fiction novel, Kidd narrates the story of how Lily Melissa Owens, a motherless girl, was surrounded by change during 1964. Lily’s journey to find information about her mother leads her to August, May, and June, otherwise known as the Calendar Sisters. The events that happen at the Calendar Sister’s home bring change not only to Lily, but to many others as well. Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees is a novel filled withRead MoreThe Secret Life Of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd1747 Words   |  7 PagesEven though people may not realize it within themselves, people still hold on to racist beliefs. This theme is developed immensely in Sue Monk Kidd’s, The Secret Life of Bees. The book is followed in the eyes of our main character, Lily Owens, a white girl from the heart of South Carolina in the year 1964. Lily is an insecure and isolated child having this way of life given to her because of her father, T-Ray, whom she refuses to call â€Å"Daddy† like any other normal child. Lily lives a restricted lifestyleRead MoreThe Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesNow. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is a book discussing the internal strife of a young white girl, in a very racist 1960’s south. The main character, Lily Owens, faces many problems she must overcome, including her personal dilemma of killing her own mother in an accident. Sue Monk Kidd accurately displays the irrationality of racism in the South during mid- 1960s not only by using beautiful language, but very thoroughly developed plot and character development. Kidd shows the irrationalityRead MoreSue Monk-Kidd In The Secret Life Of Bees, And Bernhard Schlink1158 Words   |  5 PagesHow does Sue Monk-Kidd in The Secret Life of Bees, and Bernhard Schlink in The Reader use techniques to explore the idea that it is essential to confront the truth about the past? Sue Monk-Kidd in her novel The Secret Life of Bees, and Bernhard Schlink in The Reader, explore how it is absolutely essential to confront the truth about the past. Temporal setting in both texts is important to understand the ubiquitous desire to address the past. Narrative voice provides important comprehension of theRead MoreSecret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd659 Words   |  3 Pagesdefends Rosaleen as well as save her life from the hospital after she got beaten. When Lily and Rosaleen join August Boatwright’s house, August is warm and welcoming, and Lily can breathe a sigh of relief now that she found a place to stay. August acts as a second mother to Lily throughout the story, in the end Lily became more understanding, mature and she learned how to have a better control on her life. Lily did help August with taking care of the bees as well as bring out the best in AugustRead MoreBees That Teach a Lesson in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd741 Words   |  3 Pagesto ge used to is the darkness†(Kidd 82). The bee is an insect that spends all day working: working to create a home, working to spread pollen and working to create honey. A bees life and the society of bees can be closely related to the life of humans. In the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the author conveys her lessons about human life through the imagery of bees. Bees need a queen in order to survive. While there are thousands of worker bees per successful hive, the queen,Read MoreThe Impact of Racism in Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of Bees798 Words   |  4 Pages In Sue Monk Kidds The Secret Life of Bees, the main character runs away from home, to get away from her father. Her mother died when she was little and she was told she had a part of her death. She finds a picture of her mother and a town name is mentioned on the back of it. This is where she runs off to to find more about her mother. Lily the main character realizes that racism has a big impact in her life through the relationships with the boatwright sisters, when she runs away to TiburonRead MoreTranformation into a Confident Woman in The Secret life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd573 Words   |  2 PagesIn The Secret Life of Bees, author Sue Monk Kidd, portrays the transformation of Lily Owens from a child burdened with the guilt of her mothers death to a strong and confiden t young woman, as a result of living with May, Rosaleen, and August. Lily, burdened with the guilt of her mothers death becomes terrified of her father, T. Ray. August and May guide Lily’s growth to a life of faith and devotion while Rosaleen remains as Lily’s constant companion. As Lily finds her true identity she transformsRead MoreThe Color Of Water By James Mcbride And The Secret Life Of Bees By Sue Monk Kidd1156 Words   |  5 PagesColor of Water by James McBride and The Secret Life of Bees written by Sue Monk Kidd. Each book shares its own story of integration during the 1960s. The Color of Water expresses the emotional story in a journal entry style. Each chapter alternates between the two main characters, the son who is black, and the mother who is white. This novel describes the story of their lives as an integrated family during segregation. The other work, The Secret Life of Bees, is a narrated story of a young white girl