The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Thirteen members liked, loved or enjoyed the book this month.  They liked the love between two women in very different society. One member said she loved the "interplay between the characters Hetty and Sarah" and that it went over the course of their life as they grew and changed.

One member said half way through the book she had to look up the amazing facts based in the book and doesn't remember reading about abolishment in school.  Another said it jaded her because she didn't know a lot about slavery other than what we have read with books.  Hetty (Handful) and the other slaves were so bold and so strong.  One incident that struck a few members was when Charlotte refused to step out of the way for a white woman.

A former teacher in our group said that she enjoyed reading the book because it made the story fun, you were able to get the conversation.  One member said she found it interesting to read about the quilt made by Charlotte.  One member said she wasn't too fond of another book Kidd wrote, The Secret Life of Bees, but this one she couldn't put down.

Someone read this from page 96, Handful (Hetty)  in the hardcover novel second paragraph: "It was early in the springtime, and the tree buds were popping open while we sat there.  Those days I did a lot of fretting and fraying.  I was watching Miss Sarah in society, how she wore her finery and going whichever way she pleased.  She was wanting  to get a husband soon and leave.  The world was a Wilton carpet stretched out for her, and it seemed like the doors had shut on me, and that's not even right --the doors never had opened in the first place.  I was getting old enough to see they never would."  NEVER WOULD tough words to hear.

We talked about Sarah's struggle against her family, society, religion.  She wanted to read, to be a great attorney and then she couldn't read books.  We talked about how Hetty was free in her mind, but Sarah wasn't and she was in a different type of slavery.  Sarah was a product of society, wanted her family to succeed.  Charlotte and Hetty resisted slavery, but Sarah didn't do that (until later).  The Graveyard of failed hopes is an "all-female establishment," Sarah was quoted as she not only fought for abolition of slavery but for women's right.

We talked about "the myth" that people were happy to be slaves.  Do some people really believe that?  They were smiling, content, but some commented they were also filled with fear and they might be sold off.  We talked about 12 Years a Slave which some had seen.

We also talked about slavery is still around, sex slaves even in our area.  It is hard to make an impact.  What do you do?  Raise strong girls.

We could have talked a lot more about this book but we ran out of time.  Some of us mentioned the connection with Gee's Bends quilts which was a play some of us saw "Gee's Bend" a play at Park Square Theatre a few years ago.  To read more of why and what inspired her to write this books click HERE to go to the page.  To read more about the real story of the Grimke sisters click HERE   I also found this link interesting, click HERE