Each Book Club Member: Please add one of your favorite quotes from the assigned reading section before the next time we meet.
"The queen, for her part is the unifying force of the community. if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. after a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness." (Kidd 1).
-I chose this quote because it show the relationship between Lily and her mother. Deborah is the queen and Lily is her children.-Mary
"People who think dyeing is the worst thing in life don't know a thing about life" (Kidd 2).
-This quote reminds me of when people say that the denier is the culprit. The people who think this is true, must be claiming that they have never denied anything in their life. They might say that, but everyone has denied something in their life already whether they are 4 or 104, they have denied something. ~Johdi~
“When I saw the gun in her hand, I ran toward her, clumsy and falling, wanting to save her, to save us all. Time folded in on itself then. What is left lies in clear yet disjointed pieces in my head… this is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted and I took her away,” (Kidd 8). This quote is interesting to me because it shows that Lily blames herself for what happened, and that she can’t forgive herself. -Becca
-To me it does not show that she blames herself but only tells what had happened the night that Deborah died. It doesn't exactly say who was the one who had shot the gun. So what really happened the night that she died? ~Johdi~
- I disagree. I think that it is clear from the last sentence that Lily blames herself. The gun was in Lily's hands when it went off, I just skipped that part.-Becca
"I hate you!" I screamed.
That stopped his smile instantly. He stiffened. "Why you little bitch," he said. The color faded from his lips" (Kidd 39).
How could a father say that to his daughter? I think I even understand why Lily hates her father. He lies to her and constantly puts her down. It may be a step (baby step) away from physical abuse, but he is verbally and emotionally abusing her. Its really sad. -Erin
-I can also see why she would say that she hates him, but that still don't giive T. Ray a right to call her a bitch. Calling a young girl that just makes them feel more like they have no reason to live. I think that this shows that T. Ray does not love her.........or maybe it does but in a totally weird way. Like he loves to treat her like that because he still thinks that it is her fault. Like I said earlier, just because she said her feelings aloud does not mean that he could state his out loud. His feelings were so much more degrading than hers were. ~Johdi~
"We lived for honey... In one week my skinny arms and legs began to plump out and the frizz in my hair turned to silken waves. August said honey as the ambrosia of the gods and the shampoo of the goddesses," (Kidd 84). -This quote to me is very descriptive and it shows the change in Lily's demeanor.-Becca
-Also, I would just like to add that the women are the goddesses, because they are named after them. (June and May-- see the symbols page)-Becca
"'Its your secret,' she said. 'You do what you want with it'" (Kidd 79).
I think this is good of Rosaleen. Our secrets are our own and shes not forcing Lily to confess anything. Lily needs time to think things over before she admits to the things shes done. Its not her secret to tell. We all have our secrets and they are our own and what we do with them should be up to us because we are the person that is affected by them the most.
-Erin
"I felt I'd stumbled upon an amazing secret--it was possible to close your eyes and exit life without actually dying. You just had to faint. Only I didn't know how to make it happen, how to pull the plug so I could drain away when I needed to." (Kidd 112).
-This quote shows that deep down Lil is hurting, and that she desperately wants her fears to go away without any sacrifice. It also shows that she really doesn't want to deal with her problems at this point in the book.
- Becca
"Every time I shot back, What's wrong with living in a dream world? And she'd say, You have to wake up" (Kidd 121).
Lily is out of touch with reality. She has this emptiness inside of here that she keeps trying to cover up and every time she tries to do that she just steps further away from everything thats important. She chooses to be ignorant and refuses to deal with things that are difficult. She is putting her life on pause by being at August's but in the end shes going to have to face her past and accept it in order to move on.
-Erin
"If I told you right now that I never wondered about that dream, never closed my eyes and pictured her with roach legs, never wondered why she came to me like that, with her worst nature exposed, I would be up to my old habit of lying. A roach is a creature no one can love, but you cannot kill it. It will go on and on and on. Just try to get rid of it." (Kidd 174-175).
-This quote says a lot to me. I think that it shows how touchy of a subject Lily's mother is. I think it also shows that deep down, Lily might believe that her mother left her, and Lily hates her for it. -Becca
"I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU. I tried to say it thirty-two ways" (Kidd 149).
In the book it talks about how we love, not just what and who we love, but how we love. It says that in one language there are thirty two words for love and I wonder why there is only one in English. To be quite honest it actually bugs me a significant amount. I do not love my puppy dog Oreo in the same way I love my best friend. I love them both, but in different ways. I love my best friend in a different way than I love my parents and I love my parents in a different way than I love my crush. There are not only different levels of love, but also different kinds.
-Erin
"'Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We're all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake, but she tried to fix it,'" (Kidd 256).
- This ties back into the way Mary sees people, with both the bad and the good. To me it shows that there is balance because even though Deborah messed up, she tried to atone for her mistakes. -Becca
"May was saying that when it's time to die, go ahead and die, and when it's time to live, live. Don't sort-of-maybe live, but live like your going all out, like you're not afraid'" (Kidd 211).
I think this is a significant quote because not only June but also Lily are sort-of-mabe living. They have chains around them like Mary did and these chains are creating boundaries for them. They are preventing them from going after what they want and stopping them from sucess. Lily and June need to break free of their chains and live life like they now how much lifes worth.
-Erin
"A queenless colony is a pitiful and melancholy community; there may be a mournful wail or lament from within... Without intervention, the colony will die. But introduce a new queen and the most extravagant change takes place"(Kidd 277).
-This quote sticks out to me because it shows the possibility of making amends for a mistake. It also shows that the center of our lives can change as well as leadership.- Becca
"I looked into his eyes. They were full of a strange fogginess. 'Daddy,' I said. I shouted it. 'Daddy!'" (Kidd 295).
She's never called her dad Daddy before. He has always been just T Ray because a dad is suppost to be loving and caring and a guardian over their child and he did not deserve this title. Yet she called him it and it broke him out of his trance. She called him Daddy and it moved him. Its sad alittle bit. I think Lily loves him and maybe even forgives him alittle bit or else she never would've been able to say that to him. If he didnt care for her at all he wouldnt have responded.
-Erin
"The queen, for her part is the unifying force of the community. if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. after a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness." (Kidd 1).
-I chose this quote because it show the relationship between Lily and her mother. Deborah is the queen and Lily is her children.-Mary
"People who think dyeing is the worst thing in life don't know a thing about life" (Kidd 2).
-This quote reminds me of when people say that the denier is the culprit. The people who think this is true, must be claiming that they have never denied anything in their life. They might say that, but everyone has denied something in their life already whether they are 4 or 104, they have denied something. ~Johdi~
“When I saw the gun in her hand, I ran toward her, clumsy and falling, wanting to save her, to save us all. Time folded in on itself then. What is left lies in clear yet disjointed pieces in my head… this is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted and I took her away,” (Kidd 8).
This quote is interesting to me because it shows that Lily blames herself for what happened, and that she can’t forgive herself. -Becca
-To me it does not show that she blames herself but only tells what had happened the night that Deborah died. It doesn't exactly say who was the one who had shot the gun. So what really happened the night that she died? ~Johdi~
- I disagree. I think that it is clear from the last sentence that Lily blames herself. The gun was in Lily's hands when it went off, I just skipped that part.-Becca
"I hate you!" I screamed.
That stopped his smile instantly. He stiffened. "Why you little bitch," he said. The color faded from his lips" (Kidd 39).
How could a father say that to his daughter? I think I even understand why Lily hates her father. He lies to her and constantly puts her down. It may be a step (baby step) away from physical abuse, but he is verbally and emotionally abusing her. Its really sad. -Erin
-I can also see why she would say that she hates him, but that still don't giive T. Ray a right to call her a bitch. Calling a young girl that just makes them feel more like they have no reason to live. I think that this shows that T. Ray does not love her.........or maybe it does but in a totally weird way. Like he loves to treat her like that because he still thinks that it is her fault. Like I said earlier, just because she said her feelings aloud does not mean that he could state his out loud. His feelings were so much more degrading than hers were. ~Johdi~"We lived for honey... In one week my skinny arms and legs began to plump out and the frizz in my hair turned to silken waves. August said honey as the ambrosia of the gods and the shampoo of the goddesses," (Kidd 84).
-This quote to me is very descriptive and it shows the change in Lily's demeanor.-Becca
-Also, I would just like to add that the women are the goddesses, because they are named after them. (June and May-- see the symbols page)-Becca
"'Its your secret,' she said. 'You do what you want with it'" (Kidd 79).
I think this is good of Rosaleen. Our secrets are our own and shes not forcing Lily to confess anything. Lily needs time to think things over before she admits to the things shes done. Its not her secret to tell. We all have our secrets and they are our own and what we do with them should be up to us because we are the person that is affected by them the most.
-Erin
"I felt I'd stumbled upon an amazing secret--it was possible to close your eyes and exit life without actually dying. You just had to faint. Only I didn't know how to make it happen, how to pull the plug so I could drain away when I needed to." (Kidd 112).
-This quote shows that deep down Lil is hurting, and that she desperately wants her fears to go away without any sacrifice. It also shows that she really doesn't want to deal with her problems at this point in the book.
- Becca
"Every time I shot back, What's wrong with living in a dream world? And she'd say, You have to wake up" (Kidd 121).
Lily is out of touch with reality. She has this emptiness inside of here that she keeps trying to cover up and every time she tries to do that she just steps further away from everything thats important. She chooses to be ignorant and refuses to deal with things that are difficult. She is putting her life on pause by being at August's but in the end shes going to have to face her past and accept it in order to move on.
-Erin
"If I told you right now that I never wondered about that dream, never closed my eyes and pictured her with roach legs, never wondered why she came to me like that, with her worst nature exposed, I would be up to my old habit of lying. A roach is a creature no one can love, but you cannot kill it. It will go on and on and on. Just try to get rid of it." (Kidd 174-175).
-This quote says a lot to me. I think that it shows how touchy of a subject Lily's mother is. I think it also shows that deep down, Lily might believe that her mother left her, and Lily hates her for it. -Becca
"I love you, I love you, I said in my head. I LOVE YOU. I tried to say it thirty-two ways" (Kidd 149).
In the book it talks about how we love, not just what and who we love, but how we love. It says that in one language there are thirty two words for love and I wonder why there is only one in English. To be quite honest it actually bugs me a significant amount. I do not love my puppy dog Oreo in the same way I love my best friend. I love them both, but in different ways. I love my best friend in a different way than I love my parents and I love my parents in a different way than I love my crush. There are not only different levels of love, but also different kinds.
-Erin
"'Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. We're all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake, but she tried to fix it,'" (Kidd 256).
- This ties back into the way Mary sees people, with both the bad and the good. To me it shows that there is balance because even though Deborah messed up, she tried to atone for her mistakes. -Becca
"May was saying that when it's time to die, go ahead and die, and when it's time to live, live. Don't sort-of-maybe live, but live like your going all out, like you're not afraid'" (Kidd 211).
I think this is a significant quote because not only June but also Lily are sort-of-mabe living. They have chains around them like Mary did and these chains are creating boundaries for them. They are preventing them from going after what they want and stopping them from sucess. Lily and June need to break free of their chains and live life like they now how much lifes worth.
-Erin
"A queenless colony is a pitiful and melancholy community; there may be a mournful wail or lament from within... Without intervention, the colony will die. But introduce a new queen and the most extravagant change takes place"(Kidd 277).
-This quote sticks out to me because it shows the possibility of making amends for a mistake. It also shows that the center of our lives can change as well as leadership.- Becca
"I looked into his eyes. They were full of a strange fogginess. 'Daddy,' I said. I shouted it. 'Daddy!'" (Kidd 295).
She's never called her dad Daddy before. He has always been just T Ray because a dad is suppost to be loving and caring and a guardian over their child and he did not deserve this title. Yet she called him it and it broke him out of his trance. She called him Daddy and it moved him. Its sad alittle bit. I think Lily loves him and maybe even forgives him alittle bit or else she never would've been able to say that to him. If he didnt care for her at all he wouldnt have responded.
-Erin