#of women and salt

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

From 19th-century cigar factories to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, Gabriela Garcia’s Of Women and Salt is a kaleidoscopic portrait of betrayals–personal and political, self-inflicted and those done by others-that have shaped the lives of these extraordinary women. A haunting meditation on the choices of mothers, the legacy of the memories they carry, and the tenacity of women who choose to tell their stories despite those who wish to silence them, this is more than a diaspora story; it is a story of America’s most tangled, honest, human roots.

My first book of the year, and it did not disappoint! Of Women and Salt weaves together such rich and complex stories of these women and their experiences. Drawing light on generational trauma, political conflicts, immigration and deportation, it meanders through different womens stories, across generations, and shows us just how resilient they can be. Not every character was lovable, some made bad decisions with grave outcomes, but overall they all stood on their own two feet, and left you with a lot to think about.