Lindsey’s review of The Bees > Likes and Comments
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Update: I used this book for a book club, because I just needed to talk about it with some women! Here were the questions I asked:
What was your favorite of all of her bee adventures? I appreciate that the beekeepers story was kind of tongue in cheek critical of man presuming they are central to the wild’s story.
A big turning point was when that old forger downloaded all of her memories and wisdom, it allowed Flora to get a new calling and see the world. Has an older generation of woman ever done that for you? What kinds of wisdom have you been given that allowed you to spread your wings?
What did you think of the bee religion? I was defensive for a lot of the book but ultimately I was happy because I felt like it struck a balance. It showed the limits of community conformity and how it’s often one-off individuals that allow us to see the seams in our social fabric, though sometimes they have to tear to get at them.
Let’s talk about Flora‘s motherhood. Did you see any of your mothering instincts in her actions? I liked how it motivated her to look for alternative solutions.
How has motherhood made you reevaluate your society, and what have you noticed you care about that you didn’t before, because of love of your offspring?
There is the common thing of hive mind versus sealing off the antenna, I liked that it was a balancing act. Flora loved the holy chord but also knew when she needed to keep things to herself. When have you felt the need to balance parts of yourself that are in tension? How do you know which to favor and when to switch focus?
It often had me thinking about matriarchal societies. I felt like it did a good job showing off the pluses and the minuses of female instincts: collaboration and hard work, selflessness, but also punishing the outgroups and refusing to let someone rise. Did you guess the ending?
Jonathan Haidt: you can’t help the bees by destroying the hive.
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Laline
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Sep 28, 2024 12:27PM
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Update: I used this book for a book club, because I just needed to talk about it with some women! Here were the questions I asked: What was your favorite of all of her bee adventures? I appreciate that the beekeepers story was kind of tongue in cheek critical of man presuming they are central to the wild’s story.
A big turning point was when that old forger downloaded all of her memories and wisdom, it allowed Flora to get a new calling and see the world. Has an older generation of woman ever done that for you? What kinds of wisdom have you been given that allowed you to spread your wings?
What did you think of the bee religion? I was defensive for a lot of the book but ultimately I was happy because I felt like it struck a balance. It showed the limits of community conformity and how it’s often one-off individuals that allow us to see the seams in our social fabric, though sometimes they have to tear to get at them.
Let’s talk about Flora‘s motherhood. Did you see any of your mothering instincts in her actions? I liked how it motivated her to look for alternative solutions.
How has motherhood made you reevaluate your society, and what have you noticed you care about that you didn’t before, because of love of your offspring?
There is the common thing of hive mind versus sealing off the antenna, I liked that it was a balancing act. Flora loved the holy chord but also knew when she needed to keep things to herself. When have you felt the need to balance parts of yourself that are in tension? How do you know which to favor and when to switch focus?
It often had me thinking about matriarchal societies. I felt like it did a good job showing off the pluses and the minuses of female instincts: collaboration and hard work, selflessness, but also punishing the outgroups and refusing to let someone rise. Did you guess the ending?
Jonathan Haidt: you can’t help the bees by destroying the hive.
