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A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters
by Sasha Bonét
A sweeping narrative of the unique beauty and trials of Black matriarchy in America that weaves a sharp, tender examination of three single Black mothers—the author's grandmother, mother, and the author herself—with stories of influential Black women in our culture.
Betty Jean, the author's grandmother, had a house along a bayou in Texas, a home paid for and run without a man by her side. This home served as the center of Bonét's family's universe, the one place that was a constant through all of life's changes.
Mama Connie, one of Betty Jean's eleven children, vowed that her life would be different. And in many ways it was: she got married, lived in suburbia, and built a life resembling the American dream. But when it came to raising children of her own, she was more like Betty Jean than she cared to admit. But, like her mother before her, Connie's sweat was the founding salt of her own universe.
Today, Sasha Bonét navigates all aspects of being a mother—escape, promise, burden, assent, and rebellion—not just for the women in her family who came before her, but for Black women with whom society is acquainted, too: figures like Nina Simone, Betty Davis, and Darnella Frazier, who filmed the murder of George Floyd.
Generations of Black women have borne children, borne the burdens of events untold, and borne witness to unspeakable trials. The Waterbearers carries this history, its fierce eloquence capturing a masterpiece of life written by a author who is intimately acquainted with how Black women have passed down knowledge and culture. Sasha Bonét doesn't just present genealogical lineages but illuminates the cultural and societal connections of strong Black women who have built legacies and changed the world, sometimes in the most mundane of moments. The fierce eloquence of this story confirms Sasha Bonét as a voice we all now need to hear.
"In this piercing and poetic debut memoir, cultural critic Bonét traces three generations of Black women in her family…Clear-eyed but never cynical, Bonét approaches these cycles of difficulty and disappointment with curiosity, crafting…a beautiful testament to generational resilience and a forceful reckoning with the legacy of American racism." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A stunning memoir of Black American matriarchy that brings together the author's research, experiences, and diamond-sharp prose…Bonét tells the stories of her ancestors, herself, and Black women in U.S. history…[and] unfurls the beauty of these women alongside their pain and tethers each word to an immediately felt recognition of the sum total that made her the artist she is. Fathoms deep and deeply spellbinding." —Booklist (starred review)
"Cultural critic Bonét makes her book debut with a fervent homage to Black women—grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and cousins—who have instilled an indelible life force in their families…At times tender, furious, selfish, and sacrificial, these were 'complicated women,' whom Bonét portrays with compassion. A fresh contribution to Black history, rooted in the author's past." —Kirkus Reviews
"At once propulsive and tender, Sasha Bonét's The Waterbearers is an epic love song and a remarkable ballad of generations. By the end of this book, I knew I held in my hands a new American classic, and that I would never forget this family, whose story is the story of America, and that the women in these pages had forever deepened my understanding of motherhood, history, homecoming, and the revolutionary potential of love." —Leslie Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams
"The Waterbearers is magnificent in its nimble agility. People are elevated to wonders, if that is still possible, and Sasha Bonét dances on our hearts in this classic creation of will and wit. Electrifying. Wow." —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy: An American Memoir
This information about The Waterbearers was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sasha Bonet is a writer and cultural critic based in New York City. Her criticism and essays have appeared in The Paris Review, Aperture, New York Magazine, Vogue, and BOMB, among other publications. Bonét is a professor of creative writing for Columbia University and Barnard College.
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