The secret life of bees is a great choice for womens book clubs, and has the potential to promote lively discussions. Lily relies on the rhythms of the river to guide her through the trauma. The perfect book club is made up of three key things. Lunde, a writer of childrens and youngadult books, pieces together a tale that makes the longterm effects of climate change the backdrop for a. The bees was short listed for the baileys womens prize for fiction. It sounds like something from a book, an evil curse from a grudgeholding fairy who wasnt invited to.
What are some discussion questions for the secret life of. Lily shares a birthday with the united states, a fact that inextricably binds lilys experiences to her countrys experiences. Novels like the help have been criticized for representing the history of african americans through the lens of a white persons experienceand, too, for presenting white characters as the saviors of african american ones. Heck, that was the whole reason i wanted to read it an unusual premise is a quick sell for me. I remember going to the theatre in the middle with a delighteful person i know, sounds of violins in the background, and a fine place it was to go and see a play too. Norwegian author maja lundes the history of bees fluidly translated.
Whats with lilys story about the swarm of bees invading her room at the beginning of the novel. Describe lilys relationship with her mother, deborah. The secret life of bees discussion questions thoughtco. Even if you use a list of standard questions, come up with questions specific to the book being discussed to add depth to the dialogue.
With every page i turned, i found myself drawn deeper into floras plight and her immersive, mesmerizing world. Book companion discussion questions a gentleman in moscow. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. Join us at the haven at noon on october 12 for a discussion about bees and climate change. Published july 30th 2019 by hmh books for young readers. Sep 24, 2017 pesticides, climate change and disease are affecting bees too. What do you think sue monk kidd was saying about race in this novel. Lily has a very complicated relationship with her dead mother. Especially when the book of the month evokes a strong emotional reaction and sparks a lengthy discussion that youve been dying to talk to others about.
Just as the novel is about lilys personal experiences as a young girl discovering her femininity and searching for love, so is it a novel about a specific time and a place. Discuss the reasons why you think this book was added to the short list. The bees is really about a beehive where the bees have been anthropomorphized and talk and shit. Hour of the bees candlewick press discussion guide. For the many commentorsreaders interested in bees, but either uninterested in honey production andor concerned about stings and issues with neighbors. Hour of the bees this powerful debut novel delicately blurs the line between truth and fiction as carol unravels the fantastical stories of her mentally ill grandfather. When they are faced with the dreaded birds and bees discussion, they just change the subject or leave the room. The story unravels, looping forward and backward in time, as tangents are explored.
Delve deeper into the books making the charts, and get tips for keeping your reading group engaged. The murmur of bees relevant reading book discussion guides. This chapter alone could be connected into a science unit on weather. I am going to give you a list of ten discussion areas, based on the assumption that everyone has finished. Oct 18, 2014 a quick read with strong themes of resilience, secrets and lies, and relationships offers plenty for a good book discussion. Lundes exploration of the tension between human instinct and the need for selflessness couldnt be more timely. Discussion questions for the secret life of bees are listed. The best thing to come out of reading this book is finding the following. Change partners and compare stories on how your negotiations went.
Do you think race was portrayed realistically in the secret life of bees. Laline paull has written a really great book which i. But albert is less versed in the ways of people, especially his beautiful, courageous, and secretive friend claire. Bring on the tough stuff theres not just one right answer. The conversation stalled out a lot, too, which made it seem more painful. If your book club has had the pleasure of reading the bees this month youll find some great discussion starters below. The hive mind can override personal thoughts and control their actions. Aug 21, 2017 ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. Bees are currently not on the endangered species list there is some way to go before their population falls that low. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. Discuss the reasons why you think this book was added to the. How would you describe lilys feelings about her mother. This years book stuffed and starved is about the worlds food system.
The secret life of bees is a novel by sue monk kidd that takes a realistic view of a teenagers experience in the south in the 1960s. A quick read with strong themes of resilience, secrets and lies, and relationships offers plenty for a good book discussion. Uncover the consequences of secrets in the movie, book, and your own life take steps to forgive and heal to find happiness steps for youth to take with the secret life of bees. Every character drags the weight of trauma, from childhood neglect to a brain tumor from drug use, alcoholism and drug dealing to sexual predation. The bees by laline paull meet your next favorite book. The first two things are easy to accomplish just read anything by. Laline paull goodreads author topics about this book topics that mention this book.
Say goodbye to summer with 5 books about bees book riot. Sue monk kidds debut novel, the secret life of bees, is a comingofage story about feminine spirituality, racial tension, and maneuvering through love, loss, and change. Unlike other genres with more tricky definitions, i think what historical fiction is is probably self explanatory. The bees by gossamerchild see profile 042216 while the majority of the group liked this book, it didnt blow anyone away. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Chains questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on chains. Suggested book and reading club discussion questions for the secret life of bees. One day the very greedy bee finds a meadow full of flowers and decides not to tell anyone. Ive taken to reading as many books about bees as i can fiction, non fiction, poetry, it doesnt matter.
Today i want to talk about posthumous publishing, aka the publishing of a work by a writer after that writers death. The secret life of bees is a great choice for womens book clubs and has the potential to promote lively discussions. Funnily enough our choice the bees by laline paull later made it onto the shortlist, so clearly we were onto something. Thats the only semifantastical story that she herself offers the reader she relays the fantastical stories of others, of course. On one hand, she loves her mother dearly and misses her constantly throughout the novel, especially when she is alone at night. Part of the uc davis campus book project discussion series, our event features two presentations. The best discussion questions for a book club book clubs are my favorite weeknight activity.
While all the other bees work hard to clean the hive and make honey, the very greedy bee spends all of his time gobbling pollen and guzzling nectar. Childrens picture books about bees below, ive featured just a handful of bee books for kids that will help your preschoolers celebrate spring and learn about bees. For our first book, we consulted the baileys womens prize long list the shortlist hadnt been released at the time. He spends the entire day buzzing from flower to flower untilthump. Book club discussion questions for laline paulls the bees. Dec 14, 2017 in one of my past book clubs, we literally only read books that included discussion questions at the end of the book because we wanted to be certain wed have a meaningful discussion. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Did your opinion of tray change when august told lily about how much he used to love her mother. Honey bees develop through a process called complete metamorphosis. The bees is an extraordinary feat of imagination, conjuring the life of a beehive in gripping, passionate and brilliant detail.
Theres a lot of factors that go into posthumous publishing but one of the major one. This lesson will guide classroom discussions about this novel. The book presents many opportunities for discussing themes with students as. May 25, 2014 laline paulls ambitious and bold first novel, the bees, follows flora 717, a sanitation worker doomed by her birth to the lowest caste of her community. If you have not read all the books in the series and dont want any story to be spoiled for you, read no further and go to the spoilers s4e9 nonbookreaders discussion thread. Native bee expert robbin thorp will talk about how climate change might affect the synchrony between solitary bees and their host plants, and haven program representative christine casey will discuss. My current book club group is much more casual, but perhaps too much so. May 12, 2020 unlike other genres with more tricky definitions, i think what historical fiction is is probably self explanatory. What could be more relevant to a discussion about food than bees. Our reading guide for the honey bus by meredith may includes book club. In book five, the count has decided to get sofia out of russia. Going on further, her grandfather asks her to tell him if she sees more bees, because bees will bring the rain back. Sue monk kidds debut novel, the secret life of bees, is a comingofage story about feminine spirituality, racial tension, and maneuvering through love, loss and change. Amazing that that bit of info seems to be a spoiler for some.
Thrilling and imaginative, the bees is the story of a heroine who changes her destiny and her world. After coming to terms with her mothers life, lily must come to terms separately with her death. The bees was short listed for the baileys womens prize for fiction discuss the reasons why you think this book was added to the short list. What occurs over the course of book four to lead him to this decision.
Book club discussion questions for laline paulls the bees if your book club has had the pleasure of reading the bees this month youll find some great discussion starters below. What are the ways the characters in the novel confront injustice. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. He knows that bees dislike wool clothing and foul language. Maja lundes first book chronicles three generations as they exploit, try to save and eventually mimic bees. The handmaids tale meets the hunger games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved queen the only religion. Discussion and activity guide step 1 read the book and see the movie the book. Laline paull has written a really great book which i wholeheartedly recommend. The honey bus begins with a swarmcatching expedition gone wrong, and grandpa has to rescue meredith from stinging honey bees. A recipe for bees by gail andersondargatz book club. Ask members to come with 3 questions to generate thought and discussion, marked passages to read, or relevant articles.
Laline paulls ambitious and bold first novel, the bees, follows flora 717, a sanitation worker doomed by her birth to the lowest caste of her community. Many of us tell our stories with loops and tangents as memories return to us or thoughts come to the forefront, so i found this nonlinear exposition natural. In this book one of the characters, a bee named keeper, helps protect the newly moved nest. This discussion is instead going to focus on certain aspects of historical fiction that mean it requires a more critical eye than the average genre. The secret life of bees guide novel gobblers book club. However, the number of bee colonies in america has fallen from nearly 6 million 60 years ago, to approximately 2. Allen wachter published by 5 fold media isbn 9781936578061 addresses the concepts of change and leadership. Use these book club discussion questions to guide your group through sue monk kidds touching tale. Lundes exploration of the tension between human instinct and. My approach however takes twelve steps and maybe this show and tell can help satisfy your childs curiosity. A lifelong beekeeper, albert honig is deeply acquainted with the ways and workings of the hives. Portraying tragedy and trauma there are a lot of tragic events in history. Unlike butterflies, bees complete all these stages in one place, a single cell of the beeswax comb. How does the counts experience of time change over the course of the novel and how does it relate to his fathers views as embodied by the twicetolling clock.
Before each chapter, monk kidd includes a fact about bees life cycles or honey production, taken from various resources she lists at the end of the book. There are so many great areas of discussion for this book, i hardly know where to begin. The dystopian future is already underway in maja lundes novel. Pesticides, climate change and disease are affecting bees too. Aug, 2018 sue monk kidds debut novel, the secret life of bees, is a comingofage story about feminine spirituality, racial tension, and maneuvering through love, loss, and change. As most of us were exliterature students, to read something modern was an attractive novelty. However, with a dash of creative storytelling, she magnifies the society into a dystopian nightmare. The murmur of bees by sofia segovia reading guidebook club. The bees by laline paull is a fascinating look into the most industrious of natural orders, a beehive. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. When she and her family move to his deserted ranch in order to transfer him to a care home, carol struggles to cope with the suffocating heat and the effects of her grandfather. Sometimes the publication is of unfinished works, other times of finished but unpublished works. Oct 06, 2016 this years book stuffed and starved is about the worlds food system.
Sep 14, 2015 book club discussion questions for laline paulls the bees. He produces plans to protect the nest from predators. You should be able to find these preschool books at your local library or book store. Curriculum for youth leaders, educators, and families to. Role play a discussion between the chief bee negotiator the bees will not return unless all demands are met and the president of the united states will the world believe you are negotiating with bees. Like butterflies, bees begin life as an egg, then enter the larvae stage before spinning a cocoon, pupating, and later emerging as adult bees. The bees also explains to us the thought that the colony is the creature and that the bees are the cells that make it up. In mourning like the river moves, she lets the pain, anger, guilt, and frustration flow downhill and out of her life. New york times the history of bees brings climate change into the realm of bookclub fiction.
Maja lundes the history of bees pits selfinterest against sacrifice. What are some discussion questions for the secret life of bees. Without them, the global food network will become less varied and more expensive. Does the secret life of bees fall into the same traps or avoid them.
1004 871 1351 1018 264 1312 653 1367 1 997 1090 1417 1091 62 66 1070 222 934 331 1247 663 690 425 982 860 466 1052 596 1121 1394 416 1401 1224 1190 360 92 177