Patty's Pick for 2/20/14 is "The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd

Sue Monk Kidd might not churn out books quite as frequently as some authors, but when she does they are usually worth the wait! Her "Secret of Life of Bees" is one of my favorite all time books. Please read it if you have not. This book,
her latest, may turn into one of those favorites also. 
The book is told from the two viewpoints - one a young, affluent Southern girl from Charleston and the other her personal slave. Sarah grew up the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner and judge. Hetty, her slave, grew up in 
Charleston also, but as the personal slave of Sarah. As each grow up, they form a bond but the trials of slavery and injustice pull them apart. 
Sarah's father told her that she should have been born a boy because of her intelligence and oratory skills. After witnessing a slave being whipped during her younger years, Sarah developed a stutter that came and went her entire life. That did not stop her from growing up to be a Quaker and activist in the abolition of slavery. She and her younger sister, Nina, gave many speeches against slavery and worked toward it's end. Her life intertwines with many people from all walks of life but her intelligence and sense of justice guide her actions. The real Sarah Grimke who grew to become a Quaker minister also was influential in the Woman's suffrage movement.
Hetty, or Handful as her mother named her, was Sarah's personal slave. She was given to Sarah on Sarah's eleventh birthday. As Hetty's story unfolds we learn of the hardships of being a slave even in an wealthy household. We meet 
her mother, Charlotte, who becomes a catalyst for change in Hetty's view of herself in the world. Hetty becomes involved in the unsuccessful slave uprising. As both of their worlds collide with history, the story will increase in intensity. Don't miss this touching story of two women who come of age in the old South with it's richness and faults. These two ladies will get you thinking about history and the evolution of injustice in the world today. All the  while it will keeping you glued to the pages until you are finished!