About this item
An extraordinary story of a girl, her grandfather and one of nature's most mysterious and beguiling creatures: the honeybee. Meredith May recalls the first time a honeybee crawled on her arm. She was five years old, her parents had recently split and suddenly she found herself in the care of her grandfather, an eccentric beekeeper who made honey in a rusty old military bus in the yard. That first close encounter was at once terrifying and exhilarating for May, and in that moment she discovered that everything she needed to know about life and family was right before her eyes, in the secret world of bees.May turned to her grandfather and the art of beekeeping as an escape from her troubled reality. Her mother had receded into a volatile cycle of neurosis and despair and spent most days locked away in the bedroom. It was during this pivotal time in May's childhood that she learned to take care of herself, forged an unbreakable bond with her grandfather and opened her eyes to the magic and wisdom of nature.The bees became a guiding force in May's life, teaching her about family and community, loyalty and survival and the unequivocal relationship between a mother and her child. Part memoir, part beekeeping odyssey, The Honey Bus is an unforgettable story about finding home in the most unusual of places, and how a tiny, little-understood insect could save a life.
About the Author
Meredith May, a former San Francisco Chronicle reporter, writes memoirs and children's books. She's also a fifth-generation beekeeper and volunteer scuba diver for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.Her 2021 memoir, LOVING EDIE: How A Dog Afraid of Everything Taught Me To Be Brave, tells the story of Meredith's golden retriever puppy Edith who has extreme anxiety. Meredith and her wife Jenn learn how to love their sensitive dog because of, not in spite of, her disability.Meredith's 2019 memoir, THE HONEY BUS, reveals the life lessons she learned in her grandfather's Big Sur bee yard that rescued her from a difficult childhood. The book was published in seventeen countries, translated into eleven languages, and will be published by Cameron Kids as a children's picture book titled MY HIVE in Spring 2023.Her 2017 book: I, WHO DID NOT DIE, tells the true story of an Iranian child soldier who risked his life to save an enemy during the Iran-Iraq War - an astonishing act of bravery and kindness that changed the course of both their lives.During her sixteen-year career at the San Francisco Chronicle, Meredith's reporting garnered the PEN USA Literary Award for Journalism, the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, and first place feature writing awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press. Her series about an Iraqi boy wounded during the second Gulf War was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize.Meredith is a former professor of journalism and podcasting at Mills College in Oakland, CA. She lives in Carmel Valley, where she cares for several beehives.More info: meredithamay.net
