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Why it matters
Ward gives mythic intensity to a poor Black family’s expertise and endurance.
A celebrated work
Salvage the Bones
Jesmyn Ward2011 selection · Literary fiction
Salvage the Bones
Pregnant teenager Esch and her brothers prepare unevenly for Hurricane Katrina in rural Mississippi. Family loyalty and scarcity tighten around them over twelve days.
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Read this if…
You want lyrical family fiction set against an approaching storm.
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Ideas inside
Hurricane Katrinafamilypovertysurvival
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