The Secret Life of Bees

[ABsitively]

Hi,

Has anyone read this book? My mom is pretty upset with her parish right now because they are showcasing this book in their book club for their Lenten reading. She has told me that a mockery of the Eucharist occurs in this book.
I have not read the book but I am hoping to give her some good resources that she can take to her parish if this turns out to be the case.
Also, does anyone know a good place for Catholic book reviews?

 

[lizaanne]

I read the book, and while it does show a very distorted understanding and practice of the Catholic faith by the characters, I didn’t personally see it as disrespectful or inflammatory. I don’t think it would be an appropriate book for a Catholic book club, however, because of any misunderstanding or misleading information it could convey. Unless the point of the book club was to specifically discuss why and how the things the characters do in the book are wrong in light of Church teaching.

Try this site for book reviews from a Catholic perspective: catholic.org/ae/books/

~Liza

 

[shirleytowers]

I read this a couple of months ago, and I don’t remember any of that stuff…but I do recall that it wasn’t that good of a book, in my opinion.

A Catholic book club could do a lot better.

 

[Meggie]

I LOVED The Secret Life Of Bees. While it has its moments of religious taunting, its pretty well around. I found it a great story about overcoming difficult parents. I also saw it as overcoming a past you don’t fully know. I think it would be a great book for Lent becuase its about self discovery for true repentance, and in a way, breaking free of sin/shame that is not your own, and finding what is.

 

[catsrus]

I enjoyed The Secret Life Of Bees very much.
When I read it though, I was still in R.C.I.A. and probably didn’t get the religious references.

 

[ABsitively]

Thanks all!
I don’t think that the catholic.org website reviewed this particular book or else I just couldn’t figure out how to search for it. Oh well!
Thanks, Meggie and catsrus for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I’ve heard other people say that they liked this book as well.Like I’ve said, I’ve never read it. I am mainly trying to hook my Mom up with good Catholic resources for going over the book.
My mom has described an incident from the book that sounded a little off to me.
The ladies, the main character moved in with were celebrating Mary Day. The fed one another pieces of cake and said the words “receive the body of Mary” or something like that. Does this sound familiar?
To me, it does sound like a mockery of the Eucharist. It also sounds like setting Mary up against Jesus. As in, why is it not good enough that we receive Jesus who is the bread of life? What’s with using Mary as a pseudo Eucharist?
Anyways, I do feel that she has a case for arguing that there are better books to use for a Lenten book club. Which is not to say that this book is not an entertaining read, it probably is. My mom said that the writing is beautiful. It’s just that there are so many good books out there that do not also have problematic elements in it.

 

[ABsitively]

Unless the point of the book club was to specifically discuss why and how the things the characters do in the book are wrong in light of Church teaching.

Lizaanne, I asked her that. She said no, it was billed as spiritual enhancement in the bulletin. I also recommended that she go as a corrective viewpoint to these elements that may come up

shirley towers, any particular reason that you did not like the book?

Thanks!

 

[Faith1960]

Hi,

Has anyone read this book? My mom is pretty upset with her parish right now because they are showcasing this book in their book club for their Lenten reading. She has told me that a mockery of the Eucharist occurs in this book.
I have not read the book but I am hoping to give her some good resources that she can take to her parish if this turns out to be the case.
Also, does anyone know a good place for Catholic book reviews?

I read part of this book but never finished it. I don’t remember reading anything about that in the part I did read. I didn’t care for the book at all.

 

[lizaanne]

Lizaanne, I asked her that. She said no, it was billed as spiritual enhancement in the bulletin. I also recommended that she go as a corrective viewpoint to these elements that may come up

Your recommendation is a good one - she may well be the only one there willing to defend the Faith and not allow fiction to water it down to a state of meaninglessness.

~Liza

 

[Meggie]

Referances to the Catholic church, I don’t see it as slander but childish or unknowing curiosity.

They are not saying “you will go to hell for eating a Mary cookie” but rather “those people are odd, I wonder what draws them to that action”

And finally about the Mary day…it really seemed that it was an celebration of womanhood. A being greateful for all the things divine femininty gives. (and if you don’t believe there is divine femininity, read JPII) To partake in the symoblic fruits of a woman’s work…cake! They had a day celebrating Mary in their own way. I don’t in particular remeber the words “body of Mary” but I don’t think my brain regestered them as important. It was a feast, a celebration that Mary watched over them. They were grateful to the Mother of all. A strange way of doing so, but homage none the less.

 

[ABsitively]

Referances to the Catholic church, I don’t see it as slander but childish or unknowing curiosity.

They are not saying “you will go to hell for eating a Mary cookie” but rather “those people are odd, I wonder what draws them to that action”

Hi Meggie, I think you may have misunderstood me. I don’t think that the author meant them as slander. However, they are theologically incorrect.

And finally about the Mary day…it really seemed that it was an celebration of womanhood. A being greateful for all the things divine femininty gives. (and if you don’t believe there is divine femininity, read JPII)

I love JPII. I heard someone in class I took once say that he was anti-woman and I was thinking to myself - Lady, you haven’t read anything by him if you believe that.

To partake in the symoblic fruits of a woman’s work…cake! They had a day celebrating Mary in their own way. I don’t in particular remeber the words “body of Mary” but I don’t think my brain regestered them as important. It was a feast, a celebration that Mary watched over them. They were grateful to the Mother of all. A strange way of doing so, but homage none the less.

The strange way of doing so seemed to set Mary against Jesus by the very similarity of it. It’s as if they are saying that it’s not enough to take Jesus in the Eucharist because after all, He was male and so could not properly represent us women. The Bread symbolizes both God’s gift to us of grain and our gift back to Him. You know- which earth has given and human hands has made. I don’t see that as leaving anyone out. In him, there is
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not maleand female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Gal 3:28

I believe that men and women are equal in dignity before the eyes of God. I love and honor Mary, too. She has definitely helped me out personally. I love the gift of being female that God has given to me. In fact, I am experiencing one of his greatest blessings currently as I am starting to feel the kicks of my little unborn child. Ain’t no man ever gonna feel that joy!
I am all for celebrating women but not at the expense of men. In this case, the Man is my Lord and Savior so it is with additional vigor that I am looking into this.

Like I said, I haven’t read the book and I am reporting second hand what I heard from my Mom so it’s entirely possible that I’ve got this all wrong

I am sure that this book does impart a lot of important lessons as you say but for a Lenten book study, shouldn’t they have a book that celebrates all of humanity and not just one gender? The author’s website mentions her feminist theology. I am wary of any theology that separates humankind like that.