This is one of my favorite stories.  It's a sad story; yet by the end of the book, you are filled with warm fuzzies.  The "Calendar" sisters and their friends are the kindest people you will ever meet - especially August.  And the fact that two races can live together and take care of each other with such respect in the deep south in the sixties makes you feel like it really can be done.  It gives me hope that one day we will all live in a world where we respect and love one another.  And a bonus, I learned a great deal about bees!