The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd did not disappoint. Like her book, The Secret Life of Bees the story takes place in the Deep South at a time when slavery is a natural way of life. I loved the way she alternated between the voices of Sarah (the rich slave owner’s daughter) and Handful (Sarah’s slave) in a way that we hear the thoughts and feelings of both girls as they experience life on the same piece of earth but in such a drastically different way. I loved Handful and her strength to keep her mind free even though her body had few liberties. Sometimes I loved Sarah but other times she really annoyed me. She lived so many years without the courage to stand up for what she believed, but perhaps she needed those years to strengthen her character in order to accomplish her achievements later in her life.
Images and Words
The Invention of Wings Review
08
Mar
Mar
The feminist in me also really loved the women’s rights efforts that so often went right along with abolition, and why shouldn’t it? The two concepts went hand in hand, and often times still do. At first I really wanted Sarah to accept the marriage proposal she was offered but in the end I realized how important it was that some women shunned marriage and devoted their lives to insisting on freedom and equality. I am forever grateful to people like Sarah Grimke.
*I rate my books in 5 categories on a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the highest.
Historical Value- 5
Emotional Value- 4
Entertainment Value- 4
Personal Character Value- 5
Age recommendation- 16+
“A slave was supposed to be like a Holy Ghost- don’t see it, don’t hear it, but it’s always hovering round on ready. –Sue Monk Kidd
“There was so much in the world to be had and not had.” –Sue Monk Kidd
“History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another’s pain in the heart our own.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“There’s no pain on earth that doesn’t crave a benevolent witness.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“To remain silent in the face of evil is itself a form of evil.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“You got to figure out which end of the needle you’re gon be, the one that’s fastened to the thread or the end that pierces the cloth.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“My body might be a slave, but not my mind. For you, it’s the other way round.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“The sorry truth is you can walk your feet to blisters, walk till kingdom-com, and you never will outpace your grief.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“There’s a frightful muteness that dwells at the center of all unspeakable things, and I had found my way into it.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“How could I choose someone who would force me to give up my own small reach for meaning? I chose myself, and without consolation.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
“Their laughter would ring out abruptly, a sound Mother welcomed. “Our slaves are happy,” she would boast. It never occurred to her their gaiety wasn’t contentment, but survival.” ―Sue Monk Kidd
