Join me and the Gather Book Club, Tuesday, 11/18 from 9-9:30PM ET to discuss the NYT Bestseller The Secret Life of Bees. Anyone can join. This Tuesday we'll meet to discuss chapters one through six.
The discussion takes place in the comment field below. I’ll be your host tonight and will include the discussion questions in the comment field throughout our chat. Please don’t give away any plot spoilers beyond chapter six.
You'll need to continually REFRESH your browser to see new comments appear during the live chat.
About the Book:
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees is the moving tale of Lily Owens, a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters, Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping.
Discussion Questions:
- What are your thoughts on Rosaleen spitting on the three men's shoes? What does it take for a person to stand up with conviction against brutalizing injustice? Would you have taken the same action that Rosaleen did?
- Do you think that T. Ray was a racist? Why or why not?
- Do you think the way June thinks of and treats Lily is warranted?
- Chapter Five begins with the quote: Let's imagine for a moment that we are tiny enough to follow a bee into a hive. Usually the first thing we would have to get used to is the darkness…
How do you think this applies to Lily?
Gather will randomly draw one person who participates in our chat between 9-9:30PM ET on 11/18 to receive 200 Bonus Gather Points ™!
I look forward to seeing you there!
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Comments: 174
I hope we discuss the book, not the movie, tonight.
It's a great book and the movie is pretty good too!
So, I won't be in on the discussion.
Oh, Jerry. I cannot tell you how much I disagree with you. Reading well-written fiction allows us to expand our understanding of all humans and the world around us. And that expanded understanding creates and increases our empathy. People need to be active politically and stay informed, but increased understanding of and empathy for others' motivations is never a waste of time...is never pure entertainment.
c
The discussion will be centered around the book, and not the movie.
I will check back in to see the discussion.
The discusion will be at 6pm my time so not sure if I can make it, but will try.
I hope everyone enjoys.
Tupelo Diner
Welcome to the first discussion of the book The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. Tonight we'll be discussing the first 6 chapters of the book.
What are your thoughts on Rosaleen spitting on the three men's shoes? What does it take for a person to stand up with conviction against brutalizing injustice? Would you have taken the same action that Rosaleen did?
-Guy making fun of Rosaleen, motivated her to take action. Pouring her spit jug.
-Excited about Civil Rights Act. High and Mighty because she was goint into town to vote.
-Rosaleen spured the moment "Carpie Diem" did not think about what she was doing.
-Rosaleen wants to be her own person/Drawing the line.
-Rosaleen was a pot ready to "boil over".
-Rosaleen knew the consequence of getting hurt.
I can't say I would have done the same, but I'm a non-confrontational person myself.
Hi CC, and Thank You!
I like to think I would be as brabe as Rosaleen but the fact is that we just never know what we will do in certain circumstances unless we are in them.
I think she was a strong willed person and feared the racial situation more than her reaction to it.
If you haven't gotten to question number 1, don't worry- just answer them in your own time!
I sensed the gender conflict as well.
I think perhaps T. Ray was both a product of his environment, and bitter over his own life. I don't see his actions as being completely racist. He just plain old did not like people if you ask me.
Yes, he was very much so but I wonder if deep down we all are just a bit racist... I don't necessarily mean between black and white but even between people of other countries or income levels. I mean I hate to admit but I am more weary of a person who looks like a bum than one in a suit.
Do you think the way June thinks of and treats Lily is warranted?
Again- just answer the questions in your own time!
I probably would have given this book four stars when I was 13. But taste evolves; as an adult, I wasn't interested. It seemed silly. Here are some examples of what I mean by "silly."
This book was told in the first person by a girl or woman who was at least high school age. Yet, the author deliberately made her talk like an 11 year old. As a matter of fact, her grammar was certainly worse than mine was when I was 11.
This book was constantly commenting on the poor treatment black people received at that time (the 60s) in the South, yet the child this book was about talked to and about her black nanny/"companion" (an adult) as if she were a child or a dimwit.
The heart can overcome educational limitations