"The Secret Life of Bees" is a novel written by Sue Monk Kidd and published in 2002. The novel tells the story of Lily Owens, a 14-year-old girl growing up in South Carolina in the 1960s, who is haunted by the memory of her mother's death. The novel centers around Lily's quest to learn about her mother's past and her search for a new family, which leads her to the home of three beekeeping sisters, who take her in and teach her about the importance of love, family, and self-acceptance.
The novel explores themes of race, identity, and self-acceptance, and it provides a powerful and evocative portrayal of the lives of African American women in the South during the Civil Rights era. The novel has been widely praised for its evocative writing, its exploration of the complexities of race, identity, and self-acceptance, and its portrayal of the importance of family, love, and community.
Sue Monk Kidd is an American author, known for her novels, essays, and memoirs. She has published several books, including the best-selling novel "The Secret Life of Bees" which was turned into a movie in 2008. She is considered one of the most important voices in contemporary literature and her works continue to be widely read and studied today.