Lagniappe Literature

In the late 1830's, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, sisters from Charleston, South Carolina, were two of the most infamous female abolition agents in America. Sarah was the first woman to author a female manifesto. Angelina Grimké was the first woman to speak before a legislative body. Harriet Beecher Stowe's [b:Uncle Tom's Cabin|46787|Uncle Tom's Cabin|Harriet Beecher Stowe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396239838s/46787.jpg|2478635] was influenced by [b:American Slavery As It Is Testimony Of A Thousand Witnesses|19748179|American Slavery As It Is Testimony Of A Thousand Witnesses|Theodore Dwight Weld|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387725028s/19748179.jpg|27798509], a pamphlet written by Sarah, Angelina, and Angelina's husband, Theodore Weld, and published in 1839. The Grimké sisters views were considered radical even among abolionists. They spoke for the imancipation of slaves and racial equality, which led to their exile from Charleston, becoming social pariahs.

[b:The Invention of Wings|18079776|The Invention of Wings|Sue Monk Kidd|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386699861s/18079776.jpg|25387072] is inspired by the real life of Sarah and Angelina Grimké. The addition of Handful/Hetty is a fictional tale based on the authors discovery of the real-Sarah's relationship with a young slave named Hetty. What an amazing story it is!

"Beyond the window, the sky loomed large, filled with broken light, and I remembered suddenly
that day last winter in the drawing room when Handful cleaned the chandelier, the allegation
she'd leveled at me: My body might be a slave, but not my mind. For you, it's the other way
round. I'd dismissed the words-what could she know of it? But I saw now how exact they
were. My mind had been shackled."

Loved this wonderful book and I recommend it to all. It's a bit of history with an incredible fictional account of two women telling the story from different spectrums, one a slave and one an unwilling slave owner but both with immense heart, unimaginable strength, and each longing to be free.