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    The Salt Eaters

    Part of Vintage Contemporaries

    Author Toni Cade Bambara
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    Paperback
    $17.00 US
    Knopf | Vintage
    On sale Jun 30, 1992 | 304 Pages | 9780679740766
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    Set in Claybourne, a town somewhere in the South, The Salt Eaters is the story of a community of black people searching for the healing properties of salt, who witness an event that will change their lives forever. From the men who live off welfare-women to the mud mothers who carry their children in their hides, the novel brilliantly explores the narcissistic aspect of despair and the tremendous responsibility that comes with physical, spiritual, and mental well-being.
    Toni Cade Bambara is the author of two short-story collections, Gorilla My Love and Seabirds Are Still Alive, and a novel, The Salt Eaters. She has also edited The Black Woman and Tales and Short Stories for Black Folks. Her works have appeared in various periodicals and have been translated into several languages. She died in 1995. View titles by Toni Cade Bambara
    “A powerful piece of writing.” —Anne Tyler, The Washington Post

    “With the force and freedom of a great traditional storyteller . . . Toni Cade Bambara takes a lot of chances. Her novel is set in the black section of a large Southern city . . . but her characters also inhabits the nonlinear, sacred space and sacred time of traditional African religion.” —John Edgar Wideman, The New York Times Book Review

    “A book full of marvels.” —The New Yorker

    “A hard-noised, wise, funny . . . always right-on novel.” —Los Angeles Times

    About

    Set in Claybourne, a town somewhere in the South, The Salt Eaters is the story of a community of black people searching for the healing properties of salt, who witness an event that will change their lives forever. From the men who live off welfare-women to the mud mothers who carry their children in their hides, the novel brilliantly explores the narcissistic aspect of despair and the tremendous responsibility that comes with physical, spiritual, and mental well-being.

    Author

    Toni Cade Bambara is the author of two short-story collections, Gorilla My Love and Seabirds Are Still Alive, and a novel, The Salt Eaters. She has also edited The Black Woman and Tales and Short Stories for Black Folks. Her works have appeared in various periodicals and have been translated into several languages. She died in 1995. View titles by Toni Cade Bambara

    Praise

    “A powerful piece of writing.” —Anne Tyler, The Washington Post

    “With the force and freedom of a great traditional storyteller . . . Toni Cade Bambara takes a lot of chances. Her novel is set in the black section of a large Southern city . . . but her characters also inhabits the nonlinear, sacred space and sacred time of traditional African religion.” —John Edgar Wideman, The New York Times Book Review

    “A book full of marvels.” —The New Yorker

    “A hard-noised, wise, funny . . . always right-on novel.” —Los Angeles Times

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