The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

My cooperating teacher from student teaching highly recommended this book to me, telling me how much students love the book - even the male students! I decided to save it for summer reading, but now that I've read it, I wish I would have taught it.

The story is set in South Carolina in the 1960's and follows 14-year-old Lily Owens as she runs away from an abusive father with her housekeeper, Rosaleen (Lily's white and Rosaleen is black). It gives great insight into the south during the Civil Rights movement - something I wasn't expecting from what I'd assumed would be a light-hearted read. Where Lily and Rosaleen end up is at a honey farm run by three sisters - three of the most touching and colorful characters in any book I've read in a long time. The book gives just the right amount of information about how a honey farm works in order to not get bogged down with technical terms and keep the average person interested. It made me way more appreciative of honey and the people and bees who make it! During Lily's stay at the honey farm, she also learns the truth surrounding her mother's death, something that had been a mystery she was piecing together. Kidd could have made these revelations touchy-feely and precious, but instead she made them real and gut-wrenchingly honest.

I read this book in three days - it's a total summer read without being fluffy. If you've read it before, I hope you agree with me! If you haven't read it, the library has TONS of copies of it.