The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd delivers an emotional story about slavery. It begins with Sarah, an 11-year-old girl, who is given the slave name Hetty, better known as Handful, for her birthday. Handful is 12 years old, spirited, and dreams of freedom. She's a lovable character and brings to life the hardships of what it must have felt like to be a slave. Sarah, steadfast in her beliefs against slavery at a very young age, rejects the gift but is forced to accept Handful as her property. The two girls navigate the cruel and abusive world of slavery and both fight to escape their current entrapment.

It's not an easy journey they take, but a remarkable one of self-discovery and it will keep you turning the pages. Eventually, Sarah enlists the help of her sister Angelina to help the cause. They become crusaders for women's rights and fighters against slavery. I was surprised to learn this story is loosely based on the Grimke sisters of Charleston, South Carolina. I'm sad to say I never knew about these fascinating historical figures, but you can find more information about them on the author's website. It's very interesting.

There is so much more to this book; the author has created vivid characters and filled the story with different threads that all intertwine to create an incredible tale. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it would make an excellent Book Club selection.

Penguin Books; Reprint edition - Historical Fiction - 384 pages

Hetty "Handful" Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth-century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the walls of the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimkes' daughter, Sarah, knows she is meant to do something large in the world, yet she's hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Kidd's sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah's eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten-year-old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years as both strive for lives of their own, shaping each other's destinies in a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement, and uneasy love.

As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful endures loss and sorrow but finds courage and a sense of self. Sarah suffers crushed hopes and ostracism before leaving Charleston to join her fearless sister, Angelina, as pioneers of the abolition and women's rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd brings rich interior lives to both real and invented characters, including Handful's cunning mother, Charlotte. This exquisitely written novel looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history and the women whose struggles for liberation and expression will move every reader.

1. The title The Invention of Wings was one of Kidd's first inspirations. Why is it apt? Where do birds, wings, and flight imagery appear in the novel?

2. What qualities in Handful did you most admire? How does she pursue self and freedom in the face of a brutal system?

3. After setting aside her dream of law, Sarah says the "Graveyard of Failed Hopes" is an all-female establishment. How does the book portray women's lives in the nineteenth century?

4. In what ways does Sarah struggle against family, society, and religion? What risks does breaking away require?

5. Choose one object-Sarah's fleur-de-lis button, Charlotte's story quilt, the rabbit-head cane, or the spirit tree-and discuss its meaning.

6. Were you aware of Sarah and Angelina Grimke's roles in abolition and women's rights? Why are women's achievements often overlooked?

7. How would you describe Sarah and Angelina's bond? Could either have accomplished her work alone?

8. Some abolitionists opposed women's rights. How should the sisters have responded? Is it ever right to sacrifice one's truth for expedience?

9. What are examples of Handful's wit and irony? How do they help her cope?

10. Contrast Handful's relationship with Charlotte to Sarah's with Mary Grimke. How are both younger women formed-and malformed-by their mothers?

11. Which male characters-Thomas, Theodore Weld, Denmark Vesey, Goodis Grimke, Israel Morris, Burke Williams-most influenced Sarah or Handful, for good or ill?

12. Did the novel change your understanding of slavery or resistance? What new details stood out?

13. Sarah believes she cannot have both vocation and marriage. Was she right to refuse Israel? How does this compare to Angelina's marriage to Theodore?

14. What role does the spirit tree play in Handful's life and rituals?

15. What does the novel reveal about the roots of racism in America, and where do you see its echoes today?

16. In what ways can this story help us see our own lives differently?

Loosely based on the Grimke sisters of Charleston, this story will spark rich discussion-slavery and resistance, human rights, women's voices, and the power of chosen family. Symbolism (birds, quilts, buttons, the spirit tree) opens space for multiple interpretations. A resonant pick for clubs that enjoy character-driven historical fiction and real-life heroines.