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. She'd immersed herself in forbidden privileges, yes, but mostly in the belief she was worthy of those privileges. What she'd done was not a revolt, it was a baptism. Handful’s mother and the main seamstress for the Grimké family. Charlotte is intensely determined to achieve freedom for herself and Handful, rebelling in every small way she can against their lives as slaves and… It was in the studio that Sarah poured out her story to Lucretia and had it truly received. At one point, Sarah asks Lucretia, “Do you think I could become a Quaker minister?” and Lucretia responds, “Sarah Grimké, you’re the most intelligent person I know. Of course you could.” Sarah had never really known this kind of listening, validation and encouragement. The scene brought to my mind theologian Nelle Morton’s words, that women “hear one another into speech,” and I thought, too, of theologian, Mary Daly, who said, “Only women hearing each other can create a counterworld to the prevailing reality.”

From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees and the forthcoming novel The Book of Longings,a novel about two unforgettable American women. Sarah defied convention, her family's religion, became a Quaker and twice refused marriage to Israel Morris, a man she loved, owing to the conscience to which she adhered. She left Charleston, settled in Pennsylvania, studied the Quaker religion with hopes of becoming a minister. Her beloved god-daughter and sister, Nina (Angelina) joined her and together they became well known as orators, essay writers and theoreticians. Sarah published the daring “ Letters on the Equality of the Sexes” in 1837 as part of her role as a suffragist. She also published her translation of “Lamartine's biography of Joan of Arc, a woman she greatly admired.

Become a Member

Another theme is the metaphorical wings that both Sarah and Handful develop, as they both experience hardships and loss in their lives and grow through their experiences. Though Sarah's life was immeasurably more privileged than Handful's, she had to navigate major personal trials, including loss of her dreams and love, and deep anger from her family and from society in general over her abolitionist beliefs sorrow, as she grows into the strong woman she eventually becomes. Sarah is a bit of a frustrating character to read about. She's almost paralyzed at times by her fears and uncertainties, but she overcame so much in her life, and was a major influence in her much younger sister Angelina's life, who also became devoted to the abolitionist cause.

One title that I’m seriously considering is In Pieces by Sally Field. Beginning with The Flying Nun, Sally Field has played a lifelong prominent role in my entertainment life! I’ve heard though that it’s a gritty read in places. The Invention of Wings was a powerful story of a turbulent time in history and that was conveyed in the brilliant narration by Jenna Lamia and Adepero Oduye. The story alternates points of view from Sarah Grimke and a slave on her parents' plantation named Handful. Lamia and Oduye brought the story, the people, and the places to vivid life. I was so immersed in their narration that I felt like I was sitting on the porch of the South Carolina plantation house sipping sweet tea and hoping for a breeze while watching all of this play out. What are some of the examples of Handful’s wit and sense of irony, and how do they help her cope with the burdens of slavery? SMK: I was a very good nurse, but I burned out after eight years or so, because it wasn't what I truly wanted to do. Writing is what I belong to.

Success!

It was adapted as a 2006 Lifetime movie of the same name. [4] The movie starred Kim Bassinger and Bruce Greenwood. Your writing tends to do more for your readers than simply entertain them. Reading one of your novels can be a kind of transformation. How do you hope that The Invention of Wings might affect someone who reads it? Sue Monk Kidd outdid herself with the amount of research she had to do to keep this novel accurate, and taking liberties with telling the story of Hetty Handful and Sarah Grimke. This novel is about sisters. The true sisters Nina & Sarah Grimke- living in South on a plantation with slaves, and the sisterhood that develops between Sarah and Hetty-- the slave that is given to Sarah on her 11th birthday. The journey that Hetty and Sarah end up taking circles around and eventually they each grow to masterful heights with their courage and strength. a b "Sue Monk Kidd Profile". University of South Carolina. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014 . Retrieved April 23, 2014. How does the spirit tree function in Handful’s life? What do you think of the rituals and meanings surrounding it?

Here’s what makes The Invention of Wings extraordinary: Sue Monk Kidd has written a conversation changer. It is impossible to read this book and not come away thinking differently about our status as women and about all the unsung heroines who played a role in getting us to where we are... A tour de force.” Were you aware of the role that Sarah and Angelina Grimke played in abolition and women’s rights? Have women’s achievements in history been lost or overlooked? What do you think it takes to be a reformer today?

Oprah Talks with Sue Monk Kidd About The Invention of Wings". oprah.com . Retrieved December 10, 2013. Sarah's brother informs her that Burke is actually engaged to three other women as well. He courted her just so he could have sex with her. Sarah breaks off the engagement and withdraws and anxious to pull her out of it, Handful gives her the silver button. Her second novel, The Mermaid Chair (2005), won the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction. The story concerns a woman who upon coming home to an island off the coast of South Carolina becomes attracted to a Benedictine monk who is just a few months short of taking his final vows. The title refers to a chair in his monastery carved with mermaids dedicated to a female saint said to be a mermaid before her conversion and who is patroness of the island. 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... 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.

Inspiration. Kidd first learned of the historical figures Sarah and Angelina Grimké at an exhibit of Judy Chicago’s artwork called “Dinner Party” that celebrated women’s contribution to history. Kidd could not believe that she had never heard of these sisters from Charleston, though she had lived in the South Carolina city for many years, and decided to dedicate a book to the Grimké contribution to the abolitionist and women’s rights movements. The Invention of Wingsis about several simultaneous struggles for freedom. How did you develop the movements toward freedom in Handful’s and Sarah’s characters?a b Sethi, Anita (January 5, 2014). "The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd – review". The Observer . Retrieved April 23, 2014. 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! The Invention of Wings study guide contains a biography of Sue Monk Kidd, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Born into an aristocratic family of the South and raised up in the culture of pro-slavery, she became an unusual woman who defied not only his family but also public opinion, societal norms and general belief and faced ostracism and permanent banishment because of her “radical” ideas. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements.