Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward

40 reviews for Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward

1. Will Patel

   5 out of 5

   This story will suck you in, involves your senses, and make you want more of Jesmyn Ward's exquisite writing. Every character is finely drawn. The story is so timeless you can imagine it happening any time in the last two centuries.Highly recommended.

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   Elwin Strosin

   4 out of 5

   The pacing in the first 2/3 is very slow, and Skeetah's obsession with his dog sounds like it's money-motivated only (turns out not to be true, but we don't know that yet). The last third, however, when the hurricane finally arrives, is completely riveting, and we learn more about the characters' strengths and generosities.

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   Jacqueline Reddy

   5 out of 5

   You will fall in love with every member of the family and their loyal community. You will learn of their strengths and challenges through your own immersive experience in this tender, beautifully written written book.

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   Breanna Schaefer

   5 out of 5

   First time reading j ward. When I read the name Katrina, chills ran through me and I held my breath at the turn of every page. Did not put it down from beginning to end. Captivating, smooth, prosaic, read.

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   Cicero Pouros

   2 out of 5

   Certainly written by someone who knows their way around a pit bull. Right there I pulled away, since I find the breed, and the killing, reprehensible. Not the killing of other dogs, the killing of toddlers and mail carriers. Then I came to resent the device of Greek mythology she uses to legitimize something she seems to not feel can stand on its own. These are why my rating is low, because this woman can write. I will read her other work. I did find this enormously entertaining.

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   Marcelino Dare

   5 out of 5

   Incredible writing! I had trouble putting the book down haha. The used copy I bought also came in great condition

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   Julie Butler

   1 out of 5

   What is all the hype about? If I read one more simile, ugh. I imagine a writing teacher covering them with red marks.Thought there would be more about Katrina. Reads as thought written for young adults, and even then tough to plow through. On page 146 and still waiting to hear about Katrina. The hurricane plays such a minor roll. The dog fighting is paramount. Went back to it several times waiting for the good in it. With all the books to read, do not waste your time on this.

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   Ronel Zondi

   5 out of 5

   Swept away by the book (and Hurricane Katrina)! Powerful! The language was fantastic yet very real and seemed perfect as descriptors for the events. Negatives: parts of the very end seemed like a documentary of the damage of the storm as they walked in St Catherine and surveyed the damage. I also would love to have known a bit more just how this family survived...where did the money come to feed four kids... there was talk of miscellaneous work done by the Dad and a lot of salvaging done of scrap but would love to know more.I really want to see this place....one visualizes it so well in one's head...I would be disappointed if it turned out any different than I see it in my brain!I looked on Google Maps for DeLisle, MS and found it. DeLisle is on a terrifying piece of coastline that must get bludgeoned by hurricanes.

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   Shannon Lloyd

   5 out of 5

   This seller sold us a good quality used text for an assignment so this was an excellent value!

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   Leif Lemke

   5 out of 5

   Such a raw, emotional, and honest look at rural poverty. The Batiste family didn't have much, but they had each other; and that was deeply felt throughout the entire novel. Most of us are familiar with the devastation that hurricane Katrina brought, and with this novel, we can now see from another viewpoint the effects of the storm. I loved this novel!! Jesmyn is an amazingly talented writer!!

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   Leon Farrell

   5 out of 5

   Gut-wrenching and hard to read yet important and poetic. I can taste the salty humidity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and feel the wrath of Katrina.

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   Olufunmi Mayowa

   5 out of 5

   This exquisitely written book is the best story of hurricane Katrina I have read, of several. Yet Katrina is not the main focus. The story is about a family, vividly portrayed and drawn in detail. Each one is fascinating in their own way, as are the friends on the periphery. Even the dog, China, her pups, and the land itself has a role to play in this beautiful novel.

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   Jolayemi Egbochukwu

   5 out of 5

   The descriptions in this book of places are so powerful that one becomes able to virtually claim residency in that place through the author's words which conjure up such vivid imagery it's as if you can feel that place breathe.

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   Anita Kazibwe

   4 out of 5

   Jesmyn Ward tells a story about a pit bull birthing her pups, a gal falling for her brother's friend and finding out she is pregnant by him, and a family living through Hurricane Katrina.Good book.

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   Luisa Rohan

   5 out of 5

   I enjoyed this book so much. While it discuss 4 children and their father dealing with Katrina it is so layered. Each child has there own way of surviving poverty and the storm. I loved this book so much I bought it. Good book for a book club or a class.

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   Neo Munyai

   1 out of 5

   The book was supposed to be like new quality. It is not. There is writing on every other page, all over the margins, and highlights. It is distracting.

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   Lora Kagambira

   3 out of 5

   This novel does a great job of weaving careful diction and sentence structure to give each chapter a sort of charm. The writing is definitely one to praise and cherish. However, this is unfortunately where most praise ends. The novel is incredibly slow and has very little points. The whole entire time, we are made to believe that Katrina is at the core of the story when in reality, it only spends about 2 chapters really focused on the disaster itself. Although, I would still recommend this novel if you are looking for a more slice of life in the middle of Mississippi. But it's not the ultimate tale of disaster it was made out to be.

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   Eddie Byanyima

   3 out of 5

   This book has been sitting on my shelves for quite some time. I've been trying to make my owned books a priority this year. So, I decided to pick up my oldest BOTM book this month.I feel like I was intrigued early on in the story. I wanted to know what would become of Esch as well as her family in the days leading up to and during a hurricane. There were some very quotable lines that made me pause to reflect but overall the story fell flat for me. The interesting elements that were introduced to the story at the start quickly became tedious due to the overwhelming depressive nature of the actions. I lacked a real emotional connection to most of the side characters. This book is full of trigger warning worthy scenes. Maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace to appreciate the point of these scenes. Maybe it was the relentlessness of the despair that is present throughout the book. Whatever it was…I ultimately didn't care. I just wanted to finish.

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   Ambrose Murungi

   5 out of 5

   This book about Hurricane Katrina and its effect on the lives of the people who experienced it is very enlightening and insightful. It's full of hope, but also full of tragedy. Not hard to read, but expect to be disturbed sometimes. Contains dog fighting and other violence. Overall, a great book and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

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   Adele Murray

   5 out of 5

   I could not put this book down. Every one of the characters so finely and completely drawn. The horror that is dogfighting somehow marked with understanding and maybe even compassion. The terror that was Hurricane Katrina. There is so much more I want to know. Remarkable storyteller.

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   Chiamaka Chidozie

   4 out of 5

   This book is less about the story and more about an expose on what it is to be poor, black and living in the Deep South during a major catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina. The story is a work up to the storm and not much about the aftermath which I would have liked more of. It just sort of stops like the author ran out of gas. The characters are lovable and endearing, especially the main character, Esch. But I feel like this author's strength is not drawing you in and telling a great story, but instead creating a world and inviting you to peek inside.

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   Sarai Mayert

   1 out of 5

   Characters without any redeeming qualities, muddled story telling and no plot. This story had nothing worthwhile in it dont bother with it

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   Sai Kakar

   5 out of 5

   Jesmyn Ward's book engages the reader in the story of a family and community day's leading to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath from the voice of a young lady. Through her eyes, we see her mature and become visible among her family and community. She asserts herself and realizes the power that she has within her. Throughout her families journey the days before and after Hurricane Katrina; each member of the family faced a personal trial that shapes their relationships and view of the world.This is a must read.

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   Tobin West

   1 out of 5

   Did not like any of it. Sexually graphic images described between younger age girl and over age boy. With nothing said it was wrong. It is not a typical black family. Should not be in a school library.

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   Anabel Wyman

   5 out of 5

   One of the better stories I've read in a while. The writing is amazing and although some parts were hard to stomach, it showed true dimension and humanity of all the characters. I could not put it down!

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   Hillary Mbabazi

   5 out of 5

   The book was in great condition and it was delivered promptly.

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   Titilayo Sanusi

   5 out of 5

   One of the most lyrical, heartbreaking-yet-joyful novels I've ever read. On the level with Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Ward's prose is pure poetry, her characters achingly real; these characters, and Ward's words, will go on to haunt me for a long, long time.

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   Stephen Walker

   5 out of 5

   Great novel explains the experience of those considered marginalized and disenfranchised people during hurricane Katrina

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   Erin Senger

   5 out of 5

   I loved this book. It kept me engaged the whole way through. It brought me into the lives of Esch and Skeetah and what they had to do to survive. I loved the relationship Skeetah had with China, he was as loyal to her as she was to him. While Jesmyn gave her all in this book I can tell and she shown the raw grit and love of Esch and her family and other families like theirs. I appreciate Jesmyn's unique way of storytelling 👏🏾

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   Layla Stewart

   4 out of 5

   I read the entire novel. The author has a very interesting writing style. She handles the topic well. But, a very sad story!

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   Chiamaka Chidinma

   5 out of 5

   This is a book that broke my heart many times over. It shocked me. It was an emotional sucker punch. And it is a literary masterpiece.Written by Jesmyn Ward, this is the story of the Batistes, a poor Black family living in a rundown house on rundown land peppered with rundown junk in the rural Mississippi coastal town of Bois Sauvage as Hurricane Katrina looms at sea, taking direct aim on them. And while that hurricane is churning in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, an emotional hurricane is churning in the lives of this family.Each of the 12 chapters covers a single day, leading up to Katrina's landfall on day 11 of the book. The novel is written in the first-person voice of Esch, a 15-year-old girl who thinks she does only two things well: She can run really fast, and she enjoys having sex. And while Esch has allowed several of her older brothers' friends to have sex with her since she was 12, she has fallen in love with Manny, who is 19. Now only he is allowed to touch her. Bu...More

   This is a book that broke my heart many times over. It shocked me. It was an emotional sucker punch. And it is a literary masterpiece.Written by Jesmyn Ward, this is the story of the Batistes, a poor Black family living in a rundown house on rundown land peppered with rundown junk in the rural Mississippi coastal town of Bois Sauvage as Hurricane Katrina looms at sea, taking direct aim on them. And while that hurricane is churning in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, an emotional hurricane is churning in the lives of this family.Each of the 12 chapters covers a single day, leading up to Katrina's landfall on day 11 of the book. The novel is written in the first-person voice of Esch, a 15-year-old girl who thinks she does only two things well: She can run really fast, and she enjoys having sex. And while Esch has allowed several of her older brothers' friends to have sex with her since she was 12, she has fallen in love with Manny, who is 19. Now only he is allowed to touch her. But Manny is cruelly using her, which becomes a real problem since Esch is pregnant with Manny's baby. She has no one to tell and no one to help her. Meanwhile, her older brother Skeetah, who has groomed his pit bull, China, as a prize-winning fighter, is doting on the dog as she has her first litter of puppies. Randall has thoughts only for basketball, while the littlest one, Junior, follows Esch and Randall everywhere. Their mother died in childbirth with Junior, and their father is an alcoholic who is obsessed with the coming hurricane. And then that hurricane blasts its wrath over the vulnerable land."Bois Sauvage" is a fictional town, meaning "wild wood" in French. It is indeed wild and almost savage. But the love and care that family and friends offer each other is what tames those wild woods where white neighbors shoot at them and the pit bulls viciously tear each other apart for their owners' financial benefit. It's not an easy life, and the characters grab at happiness wherever they can find it, be in a bottle of booze, sex, basketball, or a dog.Masterfully written in prose that is so lyrical and expressive it is almost poetic, this novel is destined to become a classic read in English classes a century from now. It is a literary gift. The book has everything: a gripping, wrenching plot, authentic characters, the powerful symbolism of the intensity of mother love juxtaposed with brutal, bloody violence, and imagery so vivid you will feel the oppressive heat, the howling wind, and the sting of red ants. Also, it should win an award for the best similes; some were so beautiful they almost made me weep.Perhaps the most brilliant part of the novel is how Ward has interwoven the ancient Greek myth of "The Golden Fleece" throughout the story. In this myth, Medea killed her two children by her husband Jason for revenge after he was unfaithful. Esch, who is reading Edith Hamilton's book "Mythology" for her summer assigned reading, identifies with Medea as she slowly accepts the fact of her pregnancy and shakes off the cloak of apathy.Most of all, this is just a really, really good story about the brutal struggle for survival—one that grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go.Read it while you can! This is one of the dozens of books the state of Texas wants to ban. The specific reason cited for "Salvage the Bones" is the explicit descriptions of 15-year-old Esch having sex. Meanwhile, those defending the book insist it has important literary value and therefore is not obscene.

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   Whitney Mwesige

   1 out of 5

   One of the most boring and utterly revolting books you could ever read. Stay away! I read this for school, and that was 3 months wasted that I'll never get back. Biggest waste of time would be reading this book.

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   Contact van Niekerk

   1 out of 5

   This book is very well written if you enjoy dog fighting as a spot or a young girl being sexually taken advantage of because she craves attention...Personally I find both abhorrent ..I did not finish reading this book, I did skim it I found the subject matter distasteful thru out ..There is nothing uplifting in this book..It is a very dark read.

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   Parveen Sidhu

   4 out of 5

   This award winning book has been in the news for being banned by certain school districts. As an English major, teacher, and mom, I encourage all of mine to read the banned books. As an avid reader, I give it 4/5 stars because I thought there were lulls and awkward plot changes, but it's worth the read. See what some don't want you to see when you crack open a good book!

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   Julia Wright

   5 out of 5

   The cast of characters here is surviving in truly dismal conditions even before the hurricane arrives. A family of broken half grown children is headed by a largely absent and self absorbed father. The mother died in childbirth with the youngest child. Hunger is just part of life. But somehow this ragged little group cares for one another and stays together even through the devastation of the hurricane. A wealth of discussion topics.

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   Esta O’Conner

   5 out of 5

   This book was recommended to me by a former student who read it for a college class. I am SO glad he sent it my way. I fell in love with Ward's language. It's so alive and vibrant, and the characters are so rich and well developed. You can really FEEL their humanity in the challenges they are facing. Very reminiscent of Toni Morrison's style linguistically. Highly recommend.

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   Dan Kibirige

   5 out of 5

   The author does a fantastic job of wrapping you up in her beautiful and raw descriptions. jesmyn is talented beyond words

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   Alexa Hill

   4 out of 5

   This book had me anxious, amped, agitated, MAN! I felt like I was there experiencing the storm with them... It made me think back to where I was and what I was doing and how Katrina affected us here in Alabama. Although you really have to concentrate to wrap you mental around the wording at times, this book paints a vivid picture of riding out a category 5, land touching hurricane, wondering if it'll end in life or death. I need a sequel!

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   Rahim Basu

   5 out of 5

   Ms Ward's insight is uncanny. The writing is excellent and the story compelling. Read all of her books to gain insight or further evidence about young black men growing up in the south.

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   Tess Wuckert

   1 out of 5

   Jesmyn Ward is obviously a talented writer. However, I am sorry that I was trapped by incomplete newspaper reviews into reading her book Salvage the Bones. Yes, it is a well-written depiction of a struggling family. Yes, Hurricane Katrina is part of the plot. But the strongest plot line is about dog fighting. If you want to see characters you care about forcing dogs to savage each other, then this is the book for you.

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