Worth the Read discussion

This month's selection is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Delve into this fictionalized story of real-life slavery abolitionist Sarah Grimké, daughter of a plantation owner in Charleston. It's fascinating and inspiring.

I just finished that book two weeks ago. Took me on quite a journey. Good choice. It went in an entirely different direction than I expected. Thoughtfull illustration of the reality that not all bondage is physical.

I just read it a while ago myself. Really fascinating book. A couple of new twists to an old sad story that remind me to rejoice in how far we have come even though we need to go so much further!

The book kept my interest as it seemed to depict a faily historically accurate account of the Grimke sisters, based on the information included at the end. However, the ending of the book seemed far-fetched to me and almost undercut the carefully drawn images of slavery in the South.

This book is really well-written. I found the Hetty/Helpful section especially powerful, so I was struck that it was almost entirely fiction, in contrast to that of the Grimkés. Weaving the Hetty/Helpful chapters with those focused on Sarah Grimké (and later her sister) was a brilliant -- and ambitious -- idea in that portraying the hell of a slave's existence lends weight to the urgency of abolitionist's protest against slavery. However, a kind of unevenness seemed to creep into the latter chapters involving the Grimké sisters, maybe because they skimmed over the actual public events at which the sisters spoke. I appreciate knowing now how essential was their contribution to the women's movement in the U.S. Like Martha, though, I found the ending rather improbable. But it is entirely fictional, after all, and it seems consistent with what the character Sarah would have wanted to do.

I really enjoyed the book and have to confess I knew nothing of the Grimke sisters. Kidd is a fabulous writer (I loved Secret Life of Bees too) with an incredible way with words that draws the reader into the characters' lives and emotions. Anytime I read about the horrendous struggles that slaves endured and to a much lesser extent women at that time I am proud of those that persevered and forced an end to slavery and inequality. I would have felt so frustrated and helpless had I been born during that time and like to think I would have been part of the movement of the outspoken against social injustice.