Book Review

[A South Carolina bee yard in early May, http://kutikshoney.com/south_carolina.htm]

          The Secret Life of Bees is a coming of age novel written by Sue Monk Kidd. It is set in South Carolina in 1964. At this time in history civil rights laws were recently passed but not necessarily accepted everywhere. The story is set in a farming community named Sylvan. Orchards, farms, and animals are a part of every day life for our main character Lily. Lily is fourteen years old, she is a tomboy, and she is abused by her father. She has a blurry memory of her mother's death that occurred when Lily was a toddler. Lily's father owns a peach orchard and makes his living growing and selling peaches. Lily has worked on the peach farm from a very young age. She also sells the peaches in a fruit stand along the side of the road.

          There are three major stereotypes of farming in the first chapter. One, Lily has worked on the farm since she was a little girl. Farming is romanticized in writing and movies, making it appear as if it is a profession every person should aspire to obtain. However, Lily hates it. Her father makes her work for free and takes her away from doing other things she loves, like reading. Second, Lily's father grow\s peaches in the South. It seems as though the author wanted to push this Southern theme hard on the readers. So what better way than farming peaches in the south, a fruit that many people know is grown in abundance in this area. Last, Lily sells the fruit in a stand on the side of the road. In the farming community I grew up in there were produce stands at the edge of almost every farmers property. Here in Cache Valley there are also several areas to buy produce directly from the farmer. Farmers today usually don't grow food just to sell directly to the public. They sell to large corporations and leave a small amount to sell to the community if they want to. However, in 1964 most farmers sold directly to the public either at farmers markets, local grocery stores, or in a produce stand.

          Later in the novel Lily runs away to another small farming town two hours away from her hometown. She left because she found a clue from her mother's belongings that could give Lily answers she has longed for pertaining to her mom. She finds a label on a jar of honey that leads her to a household and farm run by three black sisters. They own a bee farm and collect the honey and wax to sell at a local grocery store. They take Lily into their home and make her a part of their lives. By this I mean she is given her own small room off the side of the house and she is given chores and responsibilities in the home and on the farm. The author, Sue Kidd, broke a stereotype because she had three black sisters owning their own home and farm. This is not typical for 1964. Mostly men owned property, and they were primarily white. Having sisters working together and running a business is not a stereotype of the profession of farming.

          The true character of farmers is portrayed well in this story. Lily is taken into their home, showing how caring and kind farmers are. Next Lily is put to work. Farmers work hard and everybody knows that. They also expect that everyone should work just as hard as they do. Hard work shapes our character, and these sisters knew this. They were showing their love for Lily by having her learn through her hard work. Later in the story June, the oldest sister, uses her knowledge and experience of bee farming as a teaching tool. She relates problems and situations in life to the hives and the work attitude of bees. It is perceived that farmers are generally religious or spiritual individuals. Many times metaphors and analogies about farming are used to compare our lives to the profession of farming, in a spiritual manner that helps us feel connected with each other and to the earth. Farmers are typically spiritual people because after they have done all that they can to produce a plentiful harvest, they rely on God or the earth to do the rest. Success in farming depends on many outside forces which factor into the end result.

          My analysis of this novel is that many stereotypes were used by Kidd to help the reader connect with the lifestyle of farming and the culture in the deep south. In my opinion Sue was smart to steer clear of negative stereotypes. She did an excellent job portraying the great characteristics of farmers in this novel. The message of this story is so touching and the reader can relate to it on so many levels without being a farmer. She makes you wish you could go back in time and live a simpler life and have a strong community to lean on. This literary work is a wonderful depiction of the hard work farmers do on a daily basis. It also shows that farmers are spiritual, generous, and kind. Many qualities that good people try to develop throughout their lives. The Secret Life of Bees is a novel that can teach about these characteristics.

Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life if Bees. New York: Viking, 2002. PDF.

Harvest Process, https://coxshoney.com/general/honey-harvest-process