A Day in Portland, Maine
Words and Photos by Gretchen Powers Twenty minutes south of the Toad&Co Store in Freeport, Maine lies the beer capitol of Maine: Portland. When a commitment free afternoon presented itself midsummer, I called up my...
Toad Book Report: The Invention of Wings
Book Name and Author
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Fiction or Nonfiction?
Fiction
Read By
Kira Grebel, Associate Designer
Premise of Book
The Invention of Wings focuses on two women living in America in the early 1800’s when the North had abolished slavery while the South had not. Readers get an insider's view of a blossoming relationship between a slave and a wealthy plantation owner's daughter who oppose slavery. The story jumps back and forth and is told from each woman's perspective, chronicling their quest for freedom, fight against women's roles in society, and recounts in chilling details the anti-slavery protests and struggle for women's rights.
Your biggest Takeaway from the book?
This book is based on true events which made it super inspiring to me. The powerful female leads really resonates with me. It feels rather topical to follow the story of two wrong women who stand in opposition to traditional "women's roles" and rise to the top of the abolitionist movement. These women stood up for all injustices - they didn't just fight for the rights of slaves, but for the rights of women in all classes of society. And that's the part that goes beyond fiction: 200 years ago, people were rallying for women's rights and race equality, and yet it's still something we see to today. This book reminds me that we must understand our history so we don't make the same mistakes again. The Invention of Wings is well written and well crafted - I couldn’t put it down once I started. Enjoy!
Memorable Quote:
"History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart, and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own"
