Monday, March 22nd at 3:30
Moderator: Jim Tillotson
From an award-winning Tunisian author comes a stirring allegory about a country in the aftermath of revolution and the power of a single quest.
Sidi lives a hermetic life as a bee whisperer, tending to his beloved “girls” on the outskirts of the desolate North African village of Nawa. He wakes one morning to find that something has attacked one of his beehives, brutally killing every inhabitant. Heartbroken, he soon learns that a mysterious swarm of vicious hornets committed the mass murder—but where did they come from, and how can he stop them? If he is going to unravel this mystery and save his bees from annihilation, Sidi must venture out into the village and then brave the big city and beyond in search of answers.
Along the way, he discovers a country and a people turned upside down by their new post–Arab Spring reality as Islamic fundamentalists seek to influence votes any way they can on the eve of the country’s first democratic elections. To succeed in his quest, and find a glimmer of hope to protect all that he holds dear, Sidi will have to look further than he ever imagined.
In this brilliantly accessible modern-day parable, Yamen Manai uses a masterful blend of humor and drama to reveal what happens in a country shaken by revolutionary change after the world stops watching.
https://www.amazon.com/Ardent-Swarm-Novel-Yamen-Manai-ebook/dp/B085XXCF62
I felt like I needed to know more about Tunisia or the politics of North Africa, because it seemed like the author may have based Nawa and the area Sidi was in on that part of the world. I believe he used his own background and country of origin to paint the story's setting. I did appreciate the historical connection to democracy in the aftermath of revolution toward a more religious fundamentalist group. I felt that we can not live without bees in nature, and there is a parallel to the "worker bees" that capitalism requires to "live" and thrive. The bees were such a great analogy for nature vs humanity. There seemed to be two stories happening, what the people of Nawa were enduring, and what happened to Sidi's bees.
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DeleteI loved this book! The imagery was amazing. I especially enjoyed learning about the bees and how they make honey and how Sidi took care of his "children." I would also need to know more about the politics of the region in order to better communicate the relationship/connection to Sidi's situation and the politics of the time. However, I think students would enjoy the story despite the political backdrop. My favorite part was how Sidi found a wild swarm, captured their queen and integrated the wild bees with his bees so they would be less light sensitive. There are connections here with science (biology and ecology at the very least) that I think students could explore. I see some opportunities for projects and presentations that could be exploited as well. Overall, I liked the novel and would teach this if I taught a higher grade level. I think that this novel would be great for 9th or 10th graders. Great choice!
ReplyDeleteI am really upset that I missed this meeting. I agree with the comments above that a little more knowledge about the politics of the area would have been helpful, but a quick google search helped with that. With that being said I think this text would do well if used in collaboration with the same grade-level Social Studies and English teachers (I'm thinking 10th grade). I did also enjoy learning about the bees, especially when considering the fact that honey bees are not thriving in nature right now. It was nice to have some insight into the management and care of a hive, I've actually recommended this book to my friend, who is contemplating starting her own. Great text with a lot of connections to different disciplines!
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