Hetty Handful Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd,  is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each others destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.   Handful endures loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process.  Sarah experiences 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.

Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the historical record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better.
Join the discussion facilitated by Gladys Anderson.   Gladys M. Anderson is a certified life coach, licensed marriage & family therapist, consultant, and workshop facilitator in Bloomfield, CT. She is the author of the book, Master the Genie Within: Uncover, Embrace and Celebrate the Real You.   Copies of the ONE BOOK are available at the library.  Registration is appreciated, online at www.prosserlibrary.info or by calling 860-243-9721.