Pre-order Releases Feb 2, 2027
The Waterbearers: A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters
by Sasha Bonét
From $13.02 / copy at 25+ copies; lower per-copy prices at higher quantities (see Volume pricing) As low as $10.50 at 1,000+
Volume pricing
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About the book
The Waterbearers
A powerful new voice, telling the American story through three generations of Black mothers.
"This searing, poetic memoir covers generations of powerful Black women who raise their children singly and transmit strength by showing up. . . . Bonét writes her own mothering story with brute honesty." —NPR
"[A] profound story about all Black women, and about the effects of racism in all Black lives. . . . [O]bservant, thoughtful and poetic, in the best sense. [Bonét’s] account of both her family history and the lives of her tributaries show off her gifts to the fullest." —The New York Times
Sasha Bonét grew up in 1990s Houston, worlds removed from the Louisiana cotton plantation that raised her grandmother, Betty Jean, and the Texas bayous that shaped Sasha’s mother, Connie. And though each generation did better, materially, than the last, all of them carried the complex legacy of Black American motherhood with its origins in slavery. All of them knew that the hands used to comb and braid hair, shell pecans, and massage weary muscles were the very hands used to whip children into submission.
When she had her own daughter, Sofia, Bonét was determined to interrupt this tradition. She brought Sofia to New York and set off on a journey—not only up and down the tributaries of her bloodline but also into the lives of Black women in history and literature—Betty Davis, Recy Taylor, and Iberia Hampton among them—to understand both the love and pain they passed on to their children and to create a way of mothering that honors the legacy but abandons the violence that shaped it.
The Waterbearers is a dazzling and transformative work of American storytelling that reimagines not just how we think of Black women, but how we think of ourselves—as individuals, parents, communities, and a country.
What readers are saying
Details
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Author
- Sasha Bonét
- Format
- Paperback
- Release date
- Feb 2, 2027
- ISBN-13
- 9780593469767
- ISBN-10
- 0593469763
- Pages
- 320
- Carton quantity
- 24 copies
Who it's for
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The Waterbearers for groups: pricing
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart. No codes, no account needed.
| Copies | Price per copy | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 25 – 99 | $13.02 | 38% off list |
| 100 – 249 | $12.18 | 42% off list |
| 250 – 499 | $11.34 | 46% off list |
| 500 – 999 | $10.92 | 48% off list |
| 1,000+ | $10.50 | 50% off list |
Where can I buy 100 copies of The Waterbearers?
BookPal sells The Waterbearers in quantity. At 100 copies the price is $12.18 a copy, against a list price of $21.00, and the cart applies the volume tier automatically. Free shipping on most orders over $95 in the contiguous US. A specialist can quote a larger or mixed order.
- New books only, straight from the publisher
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- Order at least 10 business days before you need the books (11 from mid-November through December)
What does The Waterbearers cost when I buy for a group?
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart, with no code needed. Price per copy: 25 to 99 copies, $13.02 (38% off list); 100 to 249 copies, $12.18 (42% off list); 250 to 499 copies, $11.34 (46% off list); 500 to 999 copies, $10.92 (48% off list); 1,000+ copies, $10.50 (50% off list). Need a different quantity, or a quote to forward for approval? Ask a specialist and we will confirm pricing before you pay.
How fast can I get copies of The Waterbearers?
This title is not released yet. Pre-orders ship when it is, currently scheduled for February 2, 2027. Need them by a specific date? Request a quote and we'll confirm timing before you pay.
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