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Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life Of Bees

1299 Words6 Pages

Sue Monk Kidd once said, "In a way, humans are not made of skin and bones as such, as we're made of stories" ("Sue Monk Kidd Quotes"). Through her novels, Sue Monk Kidd tells people's stories. She writes realistic accounts of every day people and the hardships they encounter. Of course, many people have stories that include mature content, but the purpose of telling them is all the same; she wants to make others aware of issues that are present in today's society. The Secret Life of Bees is the story of a girl who runs away from her life along with her black "stand-in mother". Including this in school curriculum is a good decision that would bring many positive effects. Although this novel expresses controversial themes related to religion …show more content…

Sue Monk Kidd actually wrote this realistic story on account of her personal experiences, meaning this book expresses issues that students still encounter today. Students, especially in high school, tend to be more drawn in to a book that they can connect to. In an interview with the author, she told the world her exact motives of The Secret Life of Bees. She stated, "I must tell a true story that comes out of my own depths... It will be true to life, true to the deep human pathos we all experience... If you write your most authentic story... It does weave together your own experiences and ideas" (Schlumpf). This book draws in a diverse audience around the world because of the personal account of an issue that so many endure. The Secret Life of Bees itself said, "Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here" (Kidd 107). While it is understandable that some people view these issues as ones that school curriculum should leave unspoken, doing so would ignore the realities of so many who have chosen to follow a different religion or were born with a different skin pigment. The Secret Life of Bees is a story that lets people know that they are not the only ones who are different; furthermore, by reading this novel, they know that others understand their situation. In other, more …show more content…

Students should be educated of conflicts involving race and religion because it will help them make a more knowledge-based decision on how they should act towards others different from themselves. Furthermore, this is a very relatable novel that students will enjoy reading more so than traditional pieces of literature. When students are more drawn in, they will learn more from the piece of writing. There are many books once could argue for exclusion, but The Secret Life of Bees is undoubtedly an amazing story that should be shared throughout high school

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