The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings

by Sue Monk Kidd

Why should you read this book?
This book is a historical fiction that is based on a real person, Sarah Grimke, and her sister Angelina Grimke.  They were born on a plantation in South Carolina.  Both were prominent abolitionists during the 19th century.  Kidd creates two other strong female characters who are slaves on the Grimke plantation who pursue their freedom throughout the book.  Hetty, whose nickname is Handful, is given to Sarah on her 11th birthday.  Charlotte is Hetty's mother and the seamstress on the plantation.  Their experiences are based on true stories.  When it was published in January of 2014, the book spent one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.  The appeal is the way in which readers see the empowerment of the oppressed.  The bonds between sisters, mother and daughter, and friends create a story that engages readers.


What will you learn about history?
The book starts in the year 1803 and follows two young girls; one white and one black.  Readers get a unique look at life in the Antebellum South. They are exposed to various views on slavery during the first half of the 19th century and the role of women in early 19th century America.  Sarah and Angelina grew up to become influential in both areas. They wrote the pamphlet that inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin! The book also explores the religious movements of early 19th century as well as the abolition movement.  Readers walk away with a unique look at this time period told from the perspective of an actual person.

The Clan of the Cave Bear

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

What will you learn about history?
Pre-history comes to life in this book and Jean M. Auel has done enough research to make it as authentic as possible.  The story follows Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl whose mother is killed in an earthquake.  After surviving an attack from a cave lion, she meets up with a clan of Neanderthals who lost their cave during the earthquake.  As the girl grows, the physical and cultural differences between the two groups that inhabited the earth thirty thousand years ago become evident.  Auel shows how traditions and religious practices dictate every day decisions.  She also shows how precipitous survival was during the prehistoric era.  Evolution has given Ayla advantages such as the ability to hunt with a sling and to think abstractly.  Her adopted mother is the clan's medicine woman and she quickly learns the locations and uses for herbs and other natural materials.  Ayla is close to the clan's tool and weapon maker and learns how to fashion these tools.  The other women in the clan teach her to make baskets and bags.  She is also capable of vocal language.  The Neanderthal clan that she lives with uses guttural utterances and hand gestures to communicate.

Why should you read it?
This book is the first in a series of books that follow the same character through her life.  Her stories are timeless:  the love of an adopted mother, living on the fringe of a culture that is not your own, and conflict with jealous peers.   In 1986 the book was released as a movie starring Daryl Hannah.  Although the movie was a box office flop, it was nominated for an Oscar for Make-up.  Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Allison Shearmur are producing a miniseries based on the book that will air on the Lifetime network in 2015.