The Invention of Wings - Imogene Uwotu

The title 'The invention of wings' suggests many things, so when I first saw the title, I thought of a few of these things. Firstly, I thought of airplanes like we have today, then realised the book was set in the 1800s. I then thought of birds until I read the blurb and saw the subject of slavery. This interested me as I feel that slavery isn't talked about as much as I'd like it to be. So I finally came to the conclusion that the book was about metaphorical wings for freedom, but this book is so much more than that. Written by the multi-million-copy-selling author Sue Monk Kidd, The Invention of Wings is a moving and gripping insight into the life of a slave and her slaveowner. From the viewpoint of Handful - known as Hetty by her slaveowners - we listen to her tell her story and feel her emotions in our hearts; the brutality of slavery, the hunger for freedom, the security of her family. From the viewpoint of Sarah - a daughter of the respectable Judge John Grimké - we struggle through life; fighting with her speech impediment, fighting for approval and recognition in a family of ten children and her internal fight to find where she truly belongs.

When Handful is given to Sarah for her eleventh birthday, their lives intertwine and they find a much needed friend in each other. I began to love both characters and admire them for their boldness to stand up against slavery in anyway they can, but as the book progressed, my dislike for Sarah's character became apparent as she shrunk into the shell of society and became more focused on marriage, giving up her dream of becoming a lawyer after it was crushed by her beloved father. Maybe it was because Handful had also fallen out with her and I had gotten too close to the characters once again, but I became less enthralled by Sarah's story and more so by Handful's. After wallowing in her own self pity for a while longer, Sarah decided to become a Quaker after meeting a man, Israel, and his family who were heavily against slavery also. Whilst at home, Handful's mauma, Charlotte, had run off, leaving Handful to deal with the Grimké family on her own. As the story continued, Handful slowly forgave Sarah - as did I - as she and her sister Nina began a country-wide uproar, telling the people of America how wrong it was to enslave humans such as themselves.

As the book concluded, I once again was inspired by Sarah and Handful and I once again was amazed as to how talented Sue Monk Kidd must be to concoct such a remarkable story. I then read that this was a fictionalised recount of the history of two abolitionist, Sarah and Nina Grimké but let's pretend we didn't know that.