Mad Honey

by Jodi Picoult

Daughters Are Somebodies, Not Somebody’s.

The medicinal power of honey is well documented—it’s antibacterial, so has been used in treating wounds. In dressings, it helps clean pus or dead tissue, suppresses inflammation, and promotes new skin growth. A 2007 study at Penn State suggests that it is more effective than dextromethorphan in treating a cough. Irish labs have shown that it combats MRSA infections. Manuka honey kills the bacteria that cause ulcers and is used to preserve corneas for transplants.

How similar does someone have to be to you before you remember to see them, first, as human?

“There’s a difference between sex and gender. A person’s sex is the body’s biology—what’s between your legs and in your DNA. A person’s gender refers to what’s between your ears. Your own psychological sense of self—who you know yourself to be—is called your gender identity. If your gender identity doesn’t

dovetail with your biological sex, you are transgender.”

Mad honey comes from bees that forage on rhododendrons and mountain laurel, and it’s full of poisonous grayanotoxins.

The secret weapon of mad honey, of course, is that you expect it to be sweet, not deadly. You’re deliberately attracted to it. By the time it messes with your head, with your heart, it’s too late.