The Waterbearers

“The Waterbearers is one of the most beautiful and truthful books I’ve ever read. Bonét tells the whole history of this country through the relationships of and between Black mothers and daughters. It is as intimate and tender as it is vast and stormy. Unforgettable.” —Imani Perry, National Book Award-winning author of South to America“Sasha Bonét’s The Waterbearers is a bold new entry in the canon of literature about Black motherhood. With great intention and beauty, Bonét explores what it means to care for others and for oneself in the matrix of race, class and gender that powers American culture. A beautiful counternarrative to the ways motherhood—and Black motherhood specifically—are usually imagined in American literature, this is an intricately constructed sonnet on the inherent contradictions in mothering another person.” —Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of Libertie“Sasha Bonét’s tale is a tale of evolution and hope—a moving forward while looking back at generations of women who have sought something better for themselves, their families, and, ultimately, the worlds that sought to define them. I have been waiting to read this story for a very long time.” —Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of White Girls“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“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)“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 “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)

Sasha Bonét 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.