The seemingly Impossible lives of Bees

"The people called her Our Lady of Chains. They called her that not because she wore chains [...] They called her Our Lady of Chains because she broke them."

August, The Secret Lives of Bees

Two thumbs up for girl power novels. I really enjoyed this story and could not put it down. I felt a strong kinship with all of the characters and was really pulled in to each of there stories. Kidd did a wonderful job of getting into the mind of a young teenager. I think so many writers portray teenagers incorrectly today--they make them too mature and levelheaded. I am not saying it is not possible, I am just saying that time of life there is so much going on internally and Kidd really brought that forward with Lily. 

I think people forget that kids and young teens absorb so much of what happens around and to them. We have so much emotional and mental baggage that piles on us as we are growing up that deeply effects our perception of the world and the way we think and perceive ourself. Kidd really brought that to light by letting us in to Lily's head.

I really enjoyed the faith aspect of the story. I personally believe it is so important to ground yourself in something you believe in. It does not even necessarily have to be a religion, just something you know deep down is true for you no matter what others or the world thinks. That is what makes Kidd's characters so strong and realistic for me. They had there pasts, faults and troubles but they really stood firm in there faith. And believe me, when everything is falling apart around you, grasping and holding on to that little, faint light of faith inside of yourself makes all the difference. It makes you a Lily or August instead of a May. 

It is so easy to let the world weigh you down and drown you. When May was discovered, I could not help but think about Hamlet's Ophelia. The stories may be 400 years apart, but those two women are kindred souls.  

Now, my favorite aspect of the book was the bees. I have had a secret obsession with bees since my junior year in high school. It has less to do with actual bees and more to do with their ability to fly. 

"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. It's wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway, because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."

The Bee Movie

(I couldn't resist throwing that quote in there)

So, I figure if the bees don't care then neither should you or I or anyone else. Because that is what breaking your chains is all about. Deciding to fly when the world says it's impossible.