Table of Contents
Introduction 9
Chronology 12
Chapter 1 Background on Sue Monk Kidd
1 The Life of Sue Monk Kidd Contemporary Literary Criticism 15
2 Kidd Took Creative Risks in Writing The Secret Life of Bees Monica Dutcher 21
Chapter 2 The Secret Life of Bees and Coming of Age
1 Lily Is More Interested in Her Own Problems than in the Racial Turmoil Around Her Ann-Janine Morey 28
2 The Secret Life of Bees Traces the Spiritual Growth of a Teenage Girl Susan Andersen 32
3 The Black Madonna in The Secret Life of Bees Symbolizes the Mother Within Us Catherine B. Emanuel 40
4 Community Offers Lily a Place for Transformation Amy Lignitz Harken 52
5 The Secret Life of Bees Traces the Growth of Lily's Social Consciousness: The Globe and Mail 63
6 Lily's Development Comes at the Expense of the Black Characters' Individualism Linda Iraggi Larsen 66
7 Honey Child Rosellen Brown 76
8 Solving Mysteries Leads to Spiritual Growth in The Secret Life of Bees Charles Brower 81
Chapter 3 Contemporary Perspectives on Coming of Age
1 The Teenage Brain Is Wired to Tackle New Challenges Nancy Shute 88
2 Society Will Benefit If Young People Assume Responsibility at an Earlier Age Newt Gingrich 96
3 Some Adolescents Are Burdened by Bad Parents Susan B. Miller 101
4 Teenagers Need Positive Parental Role Models Claire Ellicott 110
5 Unresolved Loss in Childhood Can Lead to Issues Later in Life Gordon Carson 115
For Further Discussion 120
For Further Reading 121
Bibliography 122
Index 125