The Secret Life of Bees is a fictional novel set in 1964 in Sylvan and Tiburon, South Carolina. At the beginning of the story, we readers are surprised by the shocking and devastating story of a little girl who accidentally shot her mother. Lily desperately wants to be just like all the other girls her age, and to learn young woman etiquette, which has eluded her, she dreams of attending charm school during the spring, however, "[she] got banned because [she] didn't have a mother, a grandmother, or even a miserable aunt to give her a white rose at the closing ceremony” (9). learn more about her mother because her father refuses to say a word about her After finding a photo of Black Mary, with Tiburon, SC written on the back, among her mother's belongings, Lily wonders if her mother was. been to Tiburon and promises herself that she would go there one day because she wanted to go wherever her mother had been (15). Having said this, she ventures out with her nanny to find out if her mother really went there there are many books that really manage to catch my attention; however, this book did just that. “The plot is subtle, careful, and exquisitely executed, allowing Kidd to not only make her points about (the irrationality of racism and the power of female community), but to tell a memorable story while doing so” (Kephart 62) . It demonstrates how thrilling the irrationality of racism can be when Rosaleen, Lily's nanny, goes out to try to vote and in turn angers a group of racist white men who beat her and then have her arrested. At the same time it highlights how the power of the female community... middle of paper... enters their home, helps her find the answers she is looking for and introduces her to the life of bees and honey. Starting from the impression of being filled with pain, the novel reveals the details of such a tragic event that happened, and it turns out that it is nothing like the impression given off. The book is filled with all the answers Lily yearns for and is greeted by several women throughout the book who fill that void inside her. This book is a good read for anyone of any age: young or old. Works Cited Kephart, Beth. “The secret life of bees”. (indeterminate). Book (Summit, NJ) 20 (2002): 61-62. Selection of the full text of the Reader's Guide (H.W. Wilson). Web.November 13, 2013Chee, Vernon. “Book Review: The Secret Life of Bees.” Blog critics. Np, Nd Web. November 11, 2013 Kidd, Sue Monk. The secret life of bees. New York: Viking, 2002. Print.