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VIRTUAL: West Branch Book Discussion

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

2021-01-28 18:30:00 2021-01-28 19:30:00 America/Chicago VIRTUAL: West Branch Book Discussion West Branch's monthly virtual book discussion. January's title: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Register here to receive your exclusive Zoom link! Zoom -

Thursday, January 28
6:30pm - 7:30pm

Add to Calendar 2021-01-28 18:30:00 2021-01-28 19:30:00 America/Chicago VIRTUAL: West Branch Book Discussion West Branch's monthly virtual book discussion. January's title: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Register here to receive your exclusive Zoom link! Zoom -

West Branch's monthly virtual book discussion. January's title: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Register here to receive your exclusive Zoom link!

Join us for West Branch's monthly virtual book discussion group. We read a variety of contemporary fiction and non-fiction and meet once a month on Zoom for a thoughtful discussion. Register to receive the Zoom meeting information. Limited print copies of the selected title will be available at the West Branch for Browse & Go pickup.  Contact discussion leader Becky Clark at rclark@aurorapubliclibrary.org for more information.

Book description: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

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.

Kidd's sweeping novel 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 other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.

As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience 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 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.

This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Virtual Program |

TAGS: | Book Club |

West Branch

Phone: 630-264-4117
Branch manager
Scott Grotto

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About the branch

This branch is connected to Washington Middle School and known for its creative displays and programs for adults. Complete with three study rooms and two conference rooms.

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