6. The Invention of Wings (Sue Monk Kidd)

After enjoying the Secret Life of Bees, I was excited to read The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  While it was not quite as engaging as the Secret Life of Bees, it was an enjoyable book club pick.  It told the life of a Southern Girl (Sarah Grimke) and a young slave (Handful) that was given to Sarah as a “gift” for her eleventh birthday.  While Sarah eventually “gives” her back, she realizes that she truly does not have the power to free Handful from her circumstances any more than she has the power to be independent and become a lawyer, like her brother, due to her status as a woman.  The story was based on a real life Sarah Grimke who was an abolitionist who lived in South Carolina.  This novel intertwines the stories of Sarah and Handful describing the harsh treatment of slaves in South Carolina.