A review by jendella
The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara
5.0
The only way I can describe this book is reading it was like having my stitches carefully picked open, a hand gently rearranging my insides before sewing me back together with tender care.
We meet Velma in the South in the 1970s. She’s a community activist who is tired, disillusioned and experiences a psychotic break where she tries to end it all. She finds herself in the care of a spiritual community and enigmatic healer who is trying to lead her back to herself. But she’s not the only one in her community at the end of her rope.
This book is profound, prescient and completely timeless. It speaks to the burden of women to carry their communities, and while the observations are sharp and real, the experience of reading this felt like a soothing balm. The storytelling, the imagery, I felt it in my bones.
We meet Velma in the South in the 1970s. She’s a community activist who is tired, disillusioned and experiences a psychotic break where she tries to end it all. She finds herself in the care of a spiritual community and enigmatic healer who is trying to lead her back to herself. But she’s not the only one in her community at the end of her rope.
This book is profound, prescient and completely timeless. It speaks to the burden of women to carry their communities, and while the observations are sharp and real, the experience of reading this felt like a soothing balm. The storytelling, the imagery, I felt it in my bones.