E.C.+Book+Review

The __Secret Life of Bees__, by Sue Monk Kidd in1964. Lily Owens lives in Sylvon, South Carolina, which has been greatly offended by the newly passed Civil Rights Act. While going into town with her black caretaker Rosaleen, who planned on registering to vote, the two were arrested. Lily knew that the only way to prevent the furious white men who Rosaleen had “assaulted,” was to get out of town. This decision leads the pair to the Boatwright family home in Tiburon, South Carolina. The rest of the book illustrates the problems faced by blacks in the 1960s as well as the pressure Lily receives to leave the all-black where she is living. Lily realizes that there is no reason to segregate, but the rest of the country is having more trouble coming to terms with the idea.

Several times throughout the book civil rights becomes an issue. On the way to register her name to vote Rosaleen is bothered by some men to a point where she “assaults” them, which sends her to prison. At the prison the white men are allowed to come and beat her in the jail cell. This is an extreme case of racism, as a black man would have never been in allowed into jail to hurt a white man. Another example of racial segregation was shown at the funeral home. Lily saw the drive by window where the bodies are displays and asks August Boatwright if any of her family had ever been displaied there. August explains that there is a separate funeral home for negros, which was completely normal at the time. The color of your skin played a role in how you were treated even after you had died. Countless times throughout the book white members of the community expressed concern at why Lily was living at a black home. Lily was perfectly happy living with the Boatwright sisters, but it went against the standard for that time. Today you would not be disrespected for who you lived with, but then it was a big deal.

I loved __The Secret Life of Bees__. The book had a wonderful storyline packed with historical context. The book was intriguing, and I read the entire thing in a couple days. The Civil Rights Movement was mentioned throughout the book frequently, but the book never had the feel of a textbook. I would highly recommend reading __The Secret Life of Bees.__