Women of Cuba, We Hear Your Cries
“Who are we, weakness? No, we are force.” – Victor Hugo, as quoted in Of Women and Salt
Our most recent read is a book that received big time attention online. (We’re talking Vogue-big.) So big that The Los Angeles Times claims “Of Women and Salt” is “everything that American Dirt wasn’t.” If that doesn’t catch your attention, we don’t know what will. While our interest may have been piqued from the flashy online reviews, Gabriela Garcia now has our full and undivided attention.
Of Women and Salt follows two families in their quest for and struggles with immigration. We first meet Maria Isabel in Cuba in the 1800’s, where she prides herself on being the only female cigar roller in town. After falling in love with a rare literate male, she becomes enchanted by the words of Victor Hugo and his ideas of revolution. Maria Isabel’s commitment to overthrow the oppressive Cuban government and better her life sets off a chain of events through other women in her family that lead us to present-day Miami, where Carmen is struggling to help her daughter, Jeanette, stay clean and sober. Across the street from Jeanette’s house live Gloria and her daughter, Ana, illegal immigrants from El Salvador. Jeanette watches one morning as Gloria is arrested by police for being an illegal immigrant. Ana comes home later that night to find her mother gone. Jeanette, recognizing what Gloria has done to protect her daughter, invites her to stay the night at her house.
What follows is a story of heartache, loss, and survival as we witness both family’s desperate search for a better life in the United States. Focusing solely on the stories of women, Garcia has crafted a narrative that will both break your heart and lift your spirits at the same time. (Did we mention she wrote part of this while developing her thesis in grad school, and that it’s loosely based on her family’s immigration story? You go, girl!). The feminist in us was proud to turn pages and rub shoulders with these remarkable women.
P.S. Michelle read this book in a day – she was hooked! Sharee listened to the book and said it was a good listen, but a little hard to follow the dates and times—so pay close attention to the beginning of the chapters. Definitely 4.5 out of 5 bright stars for this debut novel.