Tell Me More, October 16, 2008 · A young girl and her housekeeper leave home in 1964 to escape a troubled home life and painful confrontations in The Secret Life of Bees.

Their journey leads them to three sisters who raise bees, and who provide some much needed shelter, wisdom and love.

Set in 1964, when big events are changing the world — Lyndon Johnson has just signed the Civil Rights Act into law, and the U.S. and Russia are competing to explore the moon — this new film is based on the bestselling book by the same name. The Secret Life of Bees was Sue Monk Kidd's debut novel, published in 2002. It stayed on the New York Times Best seller list for two years.

Fourteen-year-old Lily Owens' hardhearted father and mean-spirited neighbors don't seem to want anything to change in their little southern town.

So when Lily and Rosaleen — her caregiver and only friend — find themselves in one painful confrontation after another, they decide to disappear and they end up at the grand pink house of three beekeeping sisters. There, they begin their journey toward transformation and peace.

The movie, its meaning, and message for viewers are discussed by author Sue Monk Kidd, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who stars in the film, and director Gina Prince Bythewood, one of Hollywood's few African-American women directors.