This is such a beautiful book I’m so proud to
hold in my hands and close to my chest.

A few days ago, I told you how I was brimming over with Africa on my mind and
mentioned the book to give you a glimpse of what I was reading. A fantastic read!

Here’s a teaser of what Amazon will tell you about this book:

I sat on a mat beneath an imagined mango tree. There, the happiness and sorrows of my heart found a place as stories
and poetry on paper. I joined the birds flying above the tree, singing Kiswahili songs that made me ululate. The tree
danced from melodies of the heart, gifting ample juicy fruits to sate my longings. Meanwhile, children skipped their
favourite kamba game, and others raced on a wooden tricycle to catch a grasshopper. Our neighbour wafted soil scent
as she wetted the mud floor before sweeping it. My body adorned in a pair of kanga, the breeze knew well of the nostalgia
I carry. It was not a dream. I was homesick, and only writing would remedy my longings. Moving away from the land…

EVEN FLOWERS KNOW THAT WATER IS USELESS WITHOUT ROOTS: Poetry, Essays, and Stories

by Gloria D. Gonsalves  | Jun 25, 2023

Perhaps you, too, would like to hold it to your chest?

MY REVIEW ON AMAZON

I don’t know how to begin to review this book. It’s so beautiful! So, I’ll break
through with a few quotes selected from the book:

“My body has left Tanzania, but my feet firmly remained.” p. 39

“This mountain might surprise and startle your knowledge that Kilimanjaro is
in Tanzania, where the tropic snows.” p.111

“the breeze knew well of the nostalgia I carry…”

“an ode to Tanzania and a subtle memoir by its descendant…” 

“songs to make you ululate…”

And titles like these: 101 on Africa//African Blessing//Chicken Soup Prayer//Corn
Rhyme//Here Away From There//Homesick//Madam Okra Spoke//Molar Pleasure/
On The Sisal Mat//Praise Be To The Fish Head//Where Life Rests and Rises//

A Haughty Woman, p.2: “I possess not/the imposed numbers/86-61-86/but look a
lot sexier/in my natural curves.//Oh!/Look at you/feeling all upset/about my pride./
Try to be yourself./”

Speech Lesson, p.97: “They said to speak clearly/What they meant is change the
accent//As if I would fraudulently behave/Anything else but African/.”

Haikus of Kilimanjaro, p.30: “Night in misty cloak/the moon disrobes the mountain/
in the bed of stars/.”

Even Flowers Know That Water is Useless Without Roots—Poetry, Essays, and
Stories by Gloria D. Gonsalves carries the depth of someone comfortable with the
homesickness that gives voice to the big heart that houses the entire continent of
Africa, particularly Tanzania. 

Through the excerpt of the poems on pages 2, 97, and 30 mentioned, she brought me
a smile and gave me the permission I never thought of requesting to see myself as
someone special. This nod opened me to want to explore the essence of Gonsalves’
Africa. And I did. Her homeland of Tanzania is poetry in and of itself. What with it
being the ground where Kilimanjaro sits–Tanzania with its tropical climate, and
Mount Kilimanjaro, the dormant volcano, where snow can occur all year round, I
too felt like celebrating. 

This book is a literary ode to a home that lives in the author, who prides herself on
her roots. And automatically, as I appreciated the cultural beauty of her roots, my
own nostalgia rose to the top and encouraged me to embrace my roots.

This book is divided into two sections. Part I–Let Me Drink Home Verses Before
I Pass Out From Neglect comprises nostalgic poetry that put me in a good place as
I journeyed with the author. She even schooled me on how to eat a mango. The funny
thing is that I already know how to eat mangoes like she does. This part of the book
goes to page 128

And Part II–Let Me Eat Home Stories Before I Pass Out From Ignorance, is made up
of elegant essays and stories about language, Kanga garments, and the charms of
buibui. She even shares a recipe for a meal she prepared and enjoyed with her beloved.

At the end, there’s also a helpful section of translations for African words sprinkled all
over the book. All this within the confines of 181 pages. This is such a beautiful book,
and I’m so happy to hold this paperback. It’s a book I’ll return to often—a delighted
customer–five stars. 

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Selma Martin

I’m a simple woman who dares to see the beauty in ordinary. I’d love to connect with you and like pen pals, I want something beautiful to blossom between us. Will you join me? Selma is my middle name. Its meaning—peaceful, complete, are euphoric affirmations I like to think of myself as having. They compliment the joy I feel when I write. I sincerely hope you decide to join me on my writing journey. I Wish You Miracles.

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