Little Bee

• Genre: Contemporary Fiction
• Originally Published: 2008
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: Divided into 11 chapters; approximately 271 pages; approximately 10 hours and 41 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Little Bee is a contemporary novel that weaves together the lives of two women, Little Bee and Sarah, whose paths cross during an unlikely and life-altering encounter on a beach in Nigeria. Little Bee is a Nigerian refugee who has witnessed horrific violence, while Sarah is a British magazine editor whose life is disrupted by her encounter with Little Bee. The novel explores themes of immigration, identity, trauma, and the complex bonds that form between individuals in the face of adversity.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Themes of immigration, violence, and trauma; suicide  

Chris Cleave, Author

• Bio: Born 1973; British author and columnist for The Guardian; known for his contemporary fiction; explores complex human relationships and societal issues in his work; is celebrated for his storytelling and ability to tackle difficult subjects with empathy
• Other Works: Incendiary (2005); Gold (2012)
• Awards: United States Book-of-the-Month Club’s First Fiction Award (2005); Somerset Maugham Award (2006); Prix Spécial du Jury (2007)
• This TG follows the 2008 first-edition hardback Simon and Schuster 978-1-4165-8963-1

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Heroism and One’s Self-Image
• The Meaning of Womanhood
• British Colonization and Globalization