The Secret Life of Bees

Zach gifts Lily a notebook for her stories after he learns of her dreams to be a writer someday. What does this practice of writing things down, of telling stories, release in Lily? Why is this activity important for her?

How do Lily’s racist beliefs come to the surface in the pink house? Why is she suddenly able to see some of her own implicit biases more clearly?

Grief is a subject that takes many shapes in this novel. How does witnessing others’ grief help Lily move through her own?