Background Info: The Secret Life of Bees

Have you ever wondered where Sue Monk Kidd got the idea to write the book?  If you don't know why, I will answer some questions you might have.


Sue Monk Kidd's did grow up in the 1960's, and she did experience the extreme racial divide of that time period.  After the summer of '64, she was changed because of experiencing firsthand the cruelties of racism.  She says, "When I began writing The Secret Life of Bees, I set it during the summer of 1964 against a civil rights backdrop. It would have been impossible for me to do otherwise."
Including the experience with the time period, Kidd includes lots of bits and pieces from her childhood.  She had a nanny, wanted to be a writer, rolled her hair on grape juice cans and tons else.  The real inspiration for the book was when her husband said there was many bees flying around in his room.  She couldn't shake from her mind the image of a girl lying on her bed, watching bees squeeze through the cracks in the wall. 
The book began as a short story, but several years later Kidd felt a need to develop it into a novel.  Working hard on the "underlying structure of the book" and even visiting a beekeeper for her research, Kidd turned it into an amazing novel. 


That's all you need to know about the background of The Secret Life of Bees.  It's good to learn about the history of such a great book! :)