The Invention of Wings

This is a story of powerful women. Women who fight against the restrains of their gender, the colour of their skin and the social customs of their time, and become free in their own terms.

One of them is Sarah Grimke (based on a real-life person), who despite her family's ideas, from a very young age, becomes a determined abolitionist. Witnessing the cruelty of the masters's treatment to the slaves, she leaves her family in the south and moves to the North, giving  a series of lecture and becoming an advocate for the civil rights' movement.

The other one is the slave Sarah is given as a present in her 11th birthday. Her name is Hetty 'Handful' Grimke,  having that nickname as consequence of her unbreakable spirit. Being intelligent and sensible, she becomes a friend with Sarah and together dream of a world in which they would be equal to men.

'The Invention of Wings' makes reference to a quilt Handful makes with her mother Charlotte as the latter tells her how their ancestors used to have wings, portraying them with beautiful images in this piece of cloth essential to keep Handful's dreams of freedom alive when the hard times come.

A page-turner, Sur Monk Kidd has created another story ( she is the author of 'The Secret Life of Bees') in which females support each other in contrast to a world that diminishes them, finding in themselves the strenght to become their own masters.

Ana Ovejero

mail: ana.ovejero@gmail.com

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