Remedios: Stories of Earth and Iron from the History of Puertorriquenos

by Aurora Levins Morales

Morales, a teacher of women's studies, offers a history of the many women and cultures who have met at the crossroads of the island of Puerto Rico, beginning with the First Mother in Africa 200,000 years ago. She weaves in her own story of pain and healing with stories of figures including Juana de Asbaje, author of the first feminist essays written in the New World in 1693, and Gracia Nasi, Constantinople's "Queen of the Jews." These accounts are enriched with information on herbal remedies and traditional foods. Includes a glossary. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Gender Studies, Feminism, Anthropology, Plants

235 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Aurora Morales]

This book took me ten years to research and write. Its structure was inspired by both Susan Griffin' Woman and Nature, and Eduardo Galeano's Memory of Fire trilogy. I've written a little aboutmy research process in TheHistorian as Curandera, whicha ppears in my book, Medicine Stories.

[Stephanie McGarrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intensely personal and poetic whirlwind history of civilization. I don't usually get into books that are overly optimistic and life affirming, but much of this book is that in a Howard Zinn sort of way. Its easy enough to set that aside though. She paints dazzling portraits of peoples lives that put the larger painting into perspective.

Recommended if our interested in feminism, green anarchy, slave rebellion.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book beautiful but difficult. It was an emotional read. I encourage folks to stick with it to get rewarded with amazing writing.

[Erika Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes!
A spider web
plants, women, time, space
with the author's sense
of self and place
at the center.
So. Beautiful.

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was first introduce to Levins-Morales' work in high school. She wrote a poem with her mother that was taught in a poetry/theater class that I was in. Really beautiful wordsmithing. I suppose I should also add that I'm a bit biased in my review--I met her through a mutual friend (she lives in Berkeley), so she gave me my copy of this book.

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pura medicina.

[Rio Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

DNF

Will continue working through this one in time. Beautiful concept and prose.

[Mariya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aurora Levins-Morales is a Puerto Rican-American writer and Ph.D. (in what, I can't remember) who wrote this book as a way of working through two major discoveries she made while in grad school: one, that the history of women as herbal healers, midwives and shamans is an academic gold mine which needs to find a more public voice, and two, she uncovered memories of having been ritually physically abused as a child by a religious group.

The book is constructed as a spiral fictional meta-narrative, one of the best and tightest examples of systematic writing I've ever read. She interweaves fictionalized historical accounts of women herbalists and witches, organized by region of the world and historical period (including pre-columbian americas and european and african cultures) with botanical descriptions of herbal remedies themselves and interlaces these with fragments of her own memory of trauma. I consider this book a complete original--I've not read anything like it before or since--and wish that I could go on the road plugging it on talk shows and the like.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aurora Levins-Morales traces the complex history of Puertorriquenas, including women of the Americas, Africa, and Europe. She details the ever-changing status of women in their own communities, the brutal history of slavery and colonialism and how various women resisted, were complacent, or both. In the style of Eduardo Galeano, the history is told in short vingettes, and Morales includes her own personal history as well, tying her struggles with abuse and recovery to oppression and liberation struggles worldwide.

[ayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read her work a layer of my self-doubt and self-blame shucks itself away

[Vivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm digging the digging the author had to do to unearth the stories of many forgotten women, especially those featured only in footnotes of books discussing great uprisings and resistance movement from Puerto Rico and beyond. Loving the healing salve of plant medicine sprinkled throughout the book too, and the way she gives them life an honor.