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Sue Monk Kidd

Goodreads Author

Born

in Sylvester, Georgia, The United States

Website

http://www.suemonkkidd.com/

Genre

Fiction, Memoir

Influences

Eudora Welty, Kate Chopin: The Awakening, Thomas Merton, C.G. Jung

Member Since

December 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/suemonkkidd

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Sue Monk Kidd was raised in the small town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced the writing of her first novel The Secret Life of Bees. She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1970 and later took creative writing courses at Emory University and Anderson College, as well as studying at Sewanee, Bread Loaf, and other writers’ conferences. In 2016, TCU conferred on her an honorary doctor of letters degree. She was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2011 and into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2022.

Her book When the Heart Waits, published by Harper San Francisco in 1990 has become a touchstone on contemplative spirituality. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, also published by Harper in 1996, Sue Monk Kidd was raised in the small town of Sylvester, Georgia, a place that deeply influenced the writing of her first novel The Secret Life of Bees. She graduated from Texas Christian University in 1970 and later took creative writing courses at Emory University and Anderson College, as well as studying at Sewanee, Bread Loaf, and other writers’ conferences. In 2016, TCU conferred on her an honorary doctor of letters degree. She was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2011 and into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2022.

Her book When the Heart Waits, published by Harper San Francisco in 1990 has become a touchstone on contemplative spirituality. The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, also published by Harper in 1996, describes Kidd’s journey into feminist theology, a memoir that had a groundbreaking effect within religious circles.

When her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, was published by Viking in 2002, it became a genuine literary phenomenon, spending more than 2½ years on the New York Times bestseller list. It has been translated into over 36 languages and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. Bees was named the Book Sense Paperback Book of the Year in 2004, long-listed for the 2002 Orange Prize in England, and won numerous other awards. For over a decade, the novel was produced on stage by The American Place Theater, and in 2008 it was adapted into a movie by Fox Searchlight, which won the People’s Choice award for best movie and the NAACP Image award for best picture. An Off Broadway musical of Bees ran at The Atlantic Theater in 2019, winning the AUDELCO VIV award for best musical, and debuted in London at the Almeida Theater in 2023. The novel is taught widely in middle school, high school, and college classrooms.

Kidd’s second novel, The Mermaid Chair, has sold well over a million copies since its publication by Viking in 2005, reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and remaining on the hardcover and paperback lists for nine months. Winner of the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, the novel was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, translated into 28 languages, and made into a television movie by Lifetime.

The spiritual essays, meditations, and inspirational stories Kidd wrote in her thirties were collected into a single volume, Firstlight: The Early Inspiration Writings and published by Guideposts Books in 2006 and Penguin in 2007.

After traveling with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor, to sacred sites in Greece, Turkey, and France, Kidd and Taylor co-authored a memoir, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story. Published by Viking in 2009, it appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times list and has been published in several languages.

The Invention of Wings, Kidd’s third novel was published in 2014 by Viking. It debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list where it spent a total of 9 months. It has sold nearly 2 million copies and been translated into over 20 languages. The novel has won several literary awards, including the Florida Book of Year Award and the SIBA Book Award. It was a Goodreads Readers Choice Award runner up, nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, and chosen for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0.

Kidd’s much anticipated fourth novel, The Book of Longings, was published on April 21, 2020 to widespread critical and reader acclaim. It immediately landed at the top of the bestseller lists, reaching #5 on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, #1 on the IndieBound bestseller list, and #2 on the Associated Press bestseller List. The novel was a finalist for Book-of-the-Month Club’s Book of the Year Award, a Goodreads Readers Choice Award runner up, a Heather’s Pick (Indigo Books) in Canada, and a Australian Women’s Day Great Read Pick. It has been translated into 17 languages thus far.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband, Sandy, and dog, Barney. ...more

2 posts
Sue Monk Kidd's Blog

Final Round Voting - Goodreads Choice Awards

Dear Readers,

description

This photo was made last April on the publication day of The Book of Longings. I was so excited then, and today I’m still excited because of you, the readers who voted my novel into the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. I’m really grateful.

I hope you vote in the final round.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...

Many thanks!
🧡
Sue Read more of this blog post »

30 likes · Like • 5 comments • flag

Published on November 18, 2020 05:12 • Tags: goodreads-choice-awards, sue-monk-kidd, the-book-of-longings

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Average rating: 4.09 · 1,937,470 ratings · 93,810 reviews · 52 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Secret Life of Bees 4.10 avg rating — 1,341,272 ratings — published 2001 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Invention of Wings 4.26 avg rating — 329,092 ratings — published 2014 — 106 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Longings 4.23 avg rating — 138,783 ratings — published 2020 — 55 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mermaid Chair 3.23 avg rating — 89,096 ratings — published 2004	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine 3.99 avg rating — 10,889 ratings — published 1996 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother and Daughter Journey to the Sacred Places of Greece, Turkey, and France by Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author), Ann Kidd Taylor (Goodreads Author) 3.53 avg rating — 12,000 ratings — published 2009 — 49 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions 4.06 avg rating — 4,978 ratings — published 1990 — 32 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Firstlight: The Early Inspirational Writings of Sue Monk Kidd 3.92 avg rating — 1,288 ratings — published 2006 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Invention of Wings: Exclusive Free Chapter Sampler 4.33 avg rating — 689 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	God's Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 583 ratings — published 1987 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Sue Monk Kidd’s Followers (13,864)

Sue’s Bookshelves

Sue’s Friends (3)

Sue Monk Kidd

Goodreads Author

2 posts
Sue Monk Kidd's Blog

Final Round Voting - Goodreads Choice Awards

Combine Editions
Sue Monk Kidd’s books

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Sue’s Friend Comments

Sue Monk Kidd’s Followers (13,864)

Sue’s Bookshelves

Sue’s Friends (3)

Sue Monk Kidd

Goodreads Author

2 postsSue Monk Kidd's Blog

Final Round Voting - Goodreads Choice Awards

Combine EditionsSue Monk Kidd’s books

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Sue’s Friend Comments

2 posts
Sue Monk Kidd's Blog

Combine Editions
Sue Monk Kidd’s books