The book, The Invention of Wings, is a stunning historical fiction about an abolitionist and her efforts to help the slave population. Sue Monk Kidd's research led her to the story, and her explanation of where she deviated from the truth makes the story even more alive for me.
The abolitionist, Sarah Grimke, and her sister are the daughters of a slaveowner and his purportedly cruel wife. Very early in her young life, Sarah recognized the evils of slavery and began to try to remedy some of her family's behavior. She found it to be very hard to change an institution, yet she continued to try to find a way.
Hetty, Sarah's handmaiden, also recognizes the evils of slavery and the impact it has had on the black population and her family. Unfortunately, she is having to live it.
The book recounts the story first from Sarah's viewpoint and then from Hetty's. She managed to capture Sarah's attempts to understand and truly feel what it must be like to be a slave; and she also captures Hetty's deep hatred for the slaveowners and her continued desire to be set free.
It is impossible for any of us to put ourselves in the shoes of the slaves, but this book is a good attempt to facilitate it. A few parts of it are very hard to read - at least they were for me - but the book is so worth reading, skip those parts if you have to!
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