The Secret Life of Bees is the story of Lily, a fourteen-year-old girl who runs away from her unloving father to search for the secrets of her dead mother's past. The setting of the novel is South Carolina in 1964, a time when racial tensions were inflamed by the civil rights movement and white racists' frequently violent responses to it. Against this backdrop, Lily and her house-keeper, Rosaleen, find shelter in the home of the eccentric Boatwright sisters, three African American beekeepers who worship before the statue of a Black Madonna they call "Our Lady of Chains." In the Boatwright household, Lily finds love and acceptance and begins to come to terms with the guilt she feels over her mother's death.

In the novel, Kidd addresses the sometimes painful divide between races and generations through a rich tapestry of religious symbolism, imagining for the Daughters of Mary (as the Boatwrights and their small circle of fellow worshipers call themselves) a nurturing, personal alternative to the Catholic faith.

1.Yes, I found the book engaging because it tells you what did Lily did to find out more secrets about her mother which has passed away and also follow her through the whole journey when she begins by running away from her unloving father to when she finds love.

2. It shows how irrational racism was. The book shows the black and white personanality with compassion. The Secret Life of Bees also tells you how Kidd overcame racism. Even though Lily is not racist in the same way as the men who harassed Rosaleen, she thought that all African Americans are dumb, coarse and not educated. However, when Lily met August Boatwright, she changed her assumption and prejudice about African Americans. She realized that racism is ridiculous.

The author is trying to tell the reader that we as humans, we are not the same and should be respected for what we are, no matter what type of skin colour or what kind of race or religion. We have a huge variety of characters and all of us have the right to show them.

3. Yes, they seem real and believable to me. No, i cannot identify the characters. It reminds me of my friend because is always racist and she hates some races.

4. Yes. i felt quite uncomfortable when reading some parts. I felt that way because before reading the book, I was racist and dislike some races because of how they smell and what they do. Yes, it awares me to accept people of who they are but not their religion.

5. I learnt to respect everyone despite their religion.

-Valerie