The Invention of Wings: A Novel

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A textured masterpiece, quietly yet powerfully poking our consciences and our consciousness . . . leaves us feeling uplifted and hopeful.”– NPR When mauma saw my raw eyes, she said, "Ain't nobody can write down in a book what you worth."Handful and her mother are skilled seamstresses, and one of the recurring themes in the book is the quilt her mother creates, telling the story of her life, the terrible experiences as well as the good ones. How would you describe Sarah and Angelina’s unusual bond? Do you think either one of them could have accomplished what they did on their own? Have you known women who experienced this sort of relationship as sisters? SMK: We are not finished with the legacy of slavery or with the bias in our gender relations, and that's why the topics are still relevant.

Kidd portrays an array of male characters in the novel: Sarah’s father; Sarah’s brother Thomas; Theodore Weld; Denmark Vesey; Goodis Grimke, Israel Morris, Burke Williams. Some of them are men of their time, some are ahead of their time. Which of these male characters did you find most compelling? What positive and negative roles did they play in Sarah and Handful’s evolvement? If this isn’t an American classic-to-be, I don’t know what is. . .this book is as close to perfect as any I’ve ever read.”– The Dallas Morning News Where to start in trying to explain all the amazing things this novel contained. It is powerful, intense, profound and amazing in every way. The real life When Little Mary calls Charlotte's quilt ugly Handful reaches her breaking point and writes to Sarah, telling her that she and Sky will be escaping soon. She received the letter whilst attending Nina and Theodore's wedding. Sarah wants to help her escape and despite being banned from entering the south goes home. She asks her mother to grant Handful and Sky their freedom but Mary says this will be granted only on her death. Sarah and Handful disguise the two slaves as ladies in mourning and they manage to slip past guards on the boat going north. Sarah carries Charlotte's quilt in her luggage. Update this section! Grimke sisters, born into a family of wealth, on a plantation that of course had slaves, in Charleston in the middle of the 19th century, but before the Civil War. This is their story and the story of others who also fought for the abolishment of slavery. It is also the story of Handful, a slave and her mother on the Gremke plantation.

Barely a stone’s throw from the slave quarters where Handful and her mother share a room behind the grand Grimké house, another young woman fights a different battle with the constraints of her society. Sarah Grimké is the middle daughter of a wealthy and prominent family at the pinnacle of Charleston’s social hierarchy—the daughter her mother calls difficult and her father calls remarkable. From the time of her first violent childhood confrontation with slavery, Sarah is unable to abide the oppression and brutality of the slave system that surrounds her. Ambitious and keenly intelligent, she harbors an intense longing to have a voice in the world and to follow her father and brothers’ footsteps to a profession in the law. Crushed by the strictures that her family and society impose on women, Sarah forges a tortuous, yet brave path toward abolition and women’s rights—a crusade in which she will be joined by her fiery sister Angelina.

The moment hit me close to the bone, in part because of how real and close these human beings suddenly seemed, but also because of the sheer banality and acceptability of listing them as possessions among the carpets and cloth. Here was not just our human capacity for cruelty, but our ability to render it invisible. How do such things happen? How do we grow comfortable with the particulars of evil? How are we able to normalize it? How does evil gather when no one is looking? Discovering the seventeen names on the ledger was when I understood how dangerous it is to separate ourselves from our history, even when it’s unspeakably painful. OW: You make a distinction, with Handful, between urban slavery and the world of American slavery that readers are more familiar with. What were you trying to convey in making this distinction?

I watched her fold her few belongings on top of the quilt and thought, This ain't the same Sarah who left here. She had a firm look in her eye and her voice didn’t dither and hesitate like it used to. She'd been boiled down to a good, strong broth. Kidd has done a marvelous job of capturing two special and vibrant voices. . . I can’t recall reading a book about slavery that presented in such vivid and heartbreaking detail just what the daily life and labor felt like.”– The Minneapolis Star Tribune The Invention of Wings Information Here (I suggest looking for the original non annotated version, not the Oprah annotated version) Meet the Author, Sue Monk Kidd I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” The Invention of Wings, The Secret Life of Bees, The Mermaid Chair, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story

A remarkable novel that heightened my sense of what it meant to be a woman – slave or free . . a conversation changer.”– Oprah Winfrey, O, The Oprah Magazine Another consideration is the new release by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Leadership: In Turbulent Times. I’m almost certain that this is what my hubs will be reading for “Nonfiction November” as Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of his “auto buy” authors! You had never heard of the Grimké sisters before you received the inspiration for The Invention of Wings. How did you first hear about them, and what was it about their story that captivated you? The title The Invention of Wings was one of the first inspirations that came to Sue Monk Kidd as she began the novel. Why is the title an apt one for Kidd’s novel? What are some of the ways that the author uses the imagery and symbolism of birds, wings, and flight? Sarah Grimke was the eighth child of fourteen children, Nina the twelfth, their father was a plantation owner but the family lived in Charleston and had urban slaves. Sarah's own personal rebellion against slavery began at age 11 when she refused the gift from her parents' of her own slave, Handful. Her parents heard her then but it would take until she was 43 for America to hear this woman's voice. Sarah had a few things against her in her fight against slavery; she was a woman, she was from the south, her family had slaves and she stuttered; none of this helped her in her campaign but she was undeterred and quietly then un-quietly pursued her life's work to help abolish slavery began. The Invention of Wings is the story of Sarah and Handful, two women bound together by a culture they both abhorred, over the course of some 35 years.The story takes place in the pre Civil War era and begins on a plantation in Charleston. On the occasion of Sarah Grimke’s eleventh birthday, she’s presented with her own slave, ten-year old Hetty “Handful” Grimke. Sarah has always been uncomfortable with this tradition. At first, Sarah and Handful are more like sisters and playmates as they develop a friendly companionship. As the story progresses, Sarah leaves Charleston to join her adventurous and fearless sister, Angelina, in the north as early pioneers in the fight for abolition and women’s rights. We follow Sarah’s and Hetty’s journeys for thirty-five years as both women strive to carve out a life of their own and navigate a close and complex relationship. The struggle of 19th-century abolitionist and women's rights pioneer Sarah Grimké is at the heart of Sue Monk Kidd's powerful new historical novel. Set – like her bestselling debut, The Secret Life of Bees – in the American deep south, where she grew up, The Invention of Wings unflinchingly depicts the brutality of slavery in vivid and meticulous detail, placing it in the tradition of novels such as Beloved (1987) by Toni Morrison and first-person accounts such as Solomon Northup's 12 Years a Slave (now an Oscar-tipped film). See Penguin’s Book Club Kit for additional material, including selected “Words of Wisdom” from the novel, recipes, and more. The Invention of Wings essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.

The Invention of Wings has been a favorite for years, is on my lifetime favorites list, and is always at the top of my recommendation list. If you missed reading this or are looking for an excellent book club selection, I highly recommend this amazing story! Pictured below are my dearest reading buddies from book club day. Sue Monk Kidd gives readers a fictionalized account of a woman who is considered a pretty big deal in the Feminist Movement as well as abolitionism. Sarah wanted equality for all humans. Even during moments when the abolition movement needed more traction, she would not conform to elders who asked her to only support abolition. She felt it was her duty give both equal attention since both topics were of the highest importance to her and she very much believed this was her life's calling. The Invention of Wings is very well written in that it is powerful, sad and yet in places the humour comes through which makes the book uplifting and not depressing. Sarah and Handful's story contains an absolute plethora of real-life people. the real Handful actually died mid teens and Monk Kidd has added years to Handful's life for the purpose of this story. Demark Vesey, Lucretia Mott, Theodore Weld, Sarah Mapps Douglas, Israel Morris, William Lloyd Garrison and many others mentioned in the story all existed and were primary in the abolition movement. You will know these names if you know your American history. Inspired by actual historical figures like Sarah and Angelina Grimké and Denmark Vesey, and enlivened by original creations like Charlotte and Handful, The Invention of Wings is the extraordinary story of two struggles for freedom: the battle of Handful to find the wings her mother promised and the equally intense quest of Sarah to liberate her mind and spirit. This triumphant novel also speaks with wisdom about the nature of evil and injustice, the courage to dare what seems unattainable, and the hope inside of us that the worst darkness can’t extinguish.

This is not the first novel which alludes to people once having had wings, now obsolete but their framework still existing. The function of shoulder blades is to provide the foundation for proper shoulder joint function and shoulder health. Handful's people believed that they are the nubs of their ancestor's wings, wings used to carry them freely across the skies. Hence, the title The Invention of Wings and in the book, the slaves most surely would have mourned the loss of their ability to fly. But I digress... Audiobooks have been my preferred reading format for about 5 years now, and I probably listen to at least 30 audiobooks a year, but it is rare that I come across an audio so beautifully narrated and a story so deeply stirring that it leaves me feeling like anything I can say about it will be inadequate. Firstly I have to applaud the author for including a detailed Author's Note at the end of this beautiful novel and updating the readers on what is in fact fiction and what events really happened in the lives of the Grimke Sisters. I feel this is so important in historical fiction which is inspired by real events. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd was a really interesting and well researched novel about the lives of the Grimke Sisters.