It's not about the Bees

People tell me this time and time again; that I “judge.” Maybe it’s the look in my eyes, my posture, or my facial expression that gives off that vibe. I don’t know. I never really believed them up until this summer when I started my summer reading. My mother handed the reading list and I scanned through the list of books until I found an interesting one, so it seemed; The Life of Pi. I loved the title; it was so “out there” and different. But, then I went to the bookstore and saw the cover, the thickness of the pages, the font (size and color). It may just be my OCD, but I just couldn’t get the book.  The next on the list was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I thought, well, I don’t care too much for bees, but I’ll give it a shot.

The way Sue Monk Kidd writes in this book amazed me. She had some of the best descriptions of sentiments that I have ever read in a book. Even though she was talking about bees for most of the beginning until the plot really started to give way, Kidd continued to surprise me and hold my attention. So much, that what I paid more attention to was the bees than where the story was actually going, so when I had begun to realize the true theme behind the book, I was astonished at how well she brought up the topic. It’s something we are all intrigued about but somehow can never really talk about; race. Ironically enough, the main character, Lily doesn’t say too much about it either. What makes this such an interesting take on questioning race and its purpose is that all the talk about it went on in Lily’s mind. I did not exactly feel that I could relate to this character, but, being an African-American myself, her questions encouraged me to ponder if that is really how some people thought of my race back then, even now. I feel as if Lily is afraid to have a mindset of her own that is not influenced by society. At one point in the book it seems as if she’s upset with herself for wanting to ignore society’s view of blacks; “It was foolish to think some things were beyond happening, even being attracted to Negros.” I’d honestly thought such a thing couldn’t happen…” (125) Lily’s complicated views and emotions are almost too much for the reader. They form a sort of chaos that resembles the buzz of the bees.

Here I am rambling again. At times I feel like Lily’s character has rubbed off on me by how I think, and perhaps, her curiosity too. I am more aware of things after having read this book. I feel more open and understanding. And finally, after 302 pages and hours of reading I feel as if know what the secret life of bees is. Or maybe what it could be. We are the secret life of bees. Well not all of us; in this case it’s African-Americans. Though there is so much complexity surrounding the topic of race, Sue Monk Kidd cleverly compares it to the life of bees, which is so equally intricate and misunderstood. What is a person’s first instinct reaction when a bee flies around or near them? To swat it, or move his or her hand in a fan-like motion hoping to “shoo” it away. Imagine that the bee is now a symbol of race. This is what we are doing when we ignore what’s happening. If we all open our eyes to what every person contributes to our country, we would realize that we aren’t as united as we think; that we all have our own Secret Life.