Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
The discussion topics, questions, and suggestions for further reading that
follow are designed to enhance your group's reading of Myla Goldberg's
Bee
Season, a beautifully crafted portrait of an American family torn
asunder when eleven-year-old Eliza defies everyone's expectations by
blossoming into a championship speller.
Summary
Like most
families, the Naumanns have settled comfortably into a routine, each
member playing an accepted role in the day-to-day family drama. Saul, a
cantor who devotes himself to the study of Jewish mysticism, is the
family anchor, preparing the meals, running the household, and nurturing
his son Aaron's interest in Judaism. Miriam, a brilliant and compulsive
high-powered lawyer, slips easily into the role of wage-earner, happy to
leave the emotional demands of family life and parenting to her husband.
Smart, socially isolated, and physically awkward, teenager Aaron thrives
under his father's attention, relishing their shared scholarly pursuits
and secure in the knowledge that he will become an eminent rabbi. Amid
this dazzling display of intellectual power and intensity, Eliza, an
unremarkable fourth-grade student, is resigned to remaining in the
shadows. But her surprising triumph in a classroom spelling bee and her
ascent to the national championships launch Eliza into the spotlight,
radically altering the family dynamics.
Saul is soon lavishing time and affection on Eliza, leaving Aaron
desperate to find something to replace the connections--to his father
and his faith--that have sustained him. For Miriam, the sudden emergence
of her daughter's ability to apply the concentration and the desire for
perfection that define her own self-image triggers a flood of
contradictory emotions and sends her life spiraling out of control. And,
as her studies with her father escalate beyond simple word drills to
explorations of the writings of one of history's greatest kabbalists,
Eliza discovers that her talent for spelling opens the door to far more
mysterious gifts.
Myla Goldberg chronicles the details of the Naumanns' suddenly unsettled
world--the subtle interplay between an estranged husband and wife, the
love-hate relationship of two siblings, the shifting loyalties of parent
and child--with a wonderful mixture of humor and compassion. In
disclosing the joys, confusions, and pain of a young girl's
coming-of-age, she uncovers the hidden longings that shape--and
sometimes destroy--the delicate fabric of family life.
- Eliza Naumann has "been designated . . . as a student from
whom great things should not be expected" [p. 1]. How does Myla
Goldberg use both humor and poignancy to bring home the impact of this
judgment on a child? Does Eliza accept her "mediocrity"
without question? What evidence is there that she resents (or is
frustrated by) the way the teachers and other students, as well as her
own family, perceive her?
- Why does Eliza slip the information about the district spelling
bee under Saul's door, rather than telling him about it in person? Is
her behavior unusual for an eleven-year-old? How do Aaron's and Saul's
reactions to Eliza's winning the district bee and moving on to the
regional finals [p. 43] shed light on Eliza's own feelings about the
significance of her newly discovered talent?
- Initially, Saul is portrayed as an involved and caring father.
What hints are there that his interest in his children's lives masks a
need to satisfy his own ego? How does his relationship with Miriam
enhance the image he has created for himself? Is Miriam in some ways a
victim of Saul's determination to take the primary role in the family or
is she equally responsible for the pattern they have established? In
what ways do the dynamics of the Naumanns' marriage reflect the times in
which they live?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Anchor Books.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
