Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward
Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones discusses both storms (metaphorical and literal) and survival but, at its core, it is, essentially, a story about new beginnings. As Sigma Tau Delta’s 2026 Common Reader, the book challenges us to confront the aftermath of destruction—not only through the physical devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast that Ward describes, but also through the emotional and personal challenges faced by the novel’s main character, Esch.
Set in rural Mississippi, Salvage the Bones follows Esch, a pregnant teenager, as her dysfunctional family struggles to prepare for the biggest storm to hit the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Betsy in 1965. Surrounded by her many brothers, their many dogs, and grinding poverty, Esch retreats into Greek mythology to help her make sense of the world she inhabits. Ward’s prose, described by the New York Times as “taut . . . [and] wily,” provides us with a depiction of resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship, and asks us to reflect on the ways we have bounced back after we got knocked down.
A key facet of being a Sigma Tau Delta member is understanding the important role literature can play in helping us (individuals, our local communities, and society at large) navigate adversity and imagine new, positive, futures. The Common Reader brings chapters together around a shared, common, text, encouraging them to participate not only in thoughtful discussions but also by engaging with the wider community. In Salvage the Bones, Ward challenges us to reflect upon what we understand about caring for others, how we grow after setbacks, and how literature can be a source of hope: In the same way that Ward describes Esch questioning her place in the world, Sigma Tau Delta asks its student members and Chapter Advisors to explore complex problems through their own reading, writing, and deeds.
The themes of rebirth, resilience, and voice resound within Salvage the Bones and among many of the communities that Sigma Tau Delta chapters serve. The novel provides a helpful starting point for discussion, reflection, and (possibly most importantly) action that supports the people around us. It reminds us that even among emotional and physical ruins, there is always room to grow: every storm can provide a potential new beginning.
Regents’ Common Reader Awards
The Regents’ Common Reader Awards provide an opportunity for individual chapters to organize and host a local event or activity based on the common reader. Chapter members do not need to attend the convention to apply. Contact your Regent and you may receive $100 for your event or activity.
Application Guidelines
Organize and host a local event or activity based on this text and apply for award money after your event. Submit to your Regent via email the Regents Fund Request form as well as the following materials in a single PDF:
- A cover letter, signed by the Chapter Advisor (or sent from the Advisor’s email address), confirming that the activity or event took place
- A narrative, not to exceed 500 words, describing the activity or event
- A list of all participating persons or groups
- Pertinent supplemental materials (event program, flyers, website, social media posts, campus news story, etc.)
The Regents’ Common Reader Award is open to all chapters of Sigma Tau Delta. It is completely separate to convention submissions. The Regents hope this award will be a way for chapters in each region to share a convention-related experience even if they are not able to attend the convention. We hope it will encourage relative, text-based activities and events. And, lastly, we hope it will give space to reflect on the power of language both in our own lives and in the lives of others.
Common Reader Convention Awards
Awards of up to $600 will be given at the annual convention for critical essays or other genres of work that deal with the Common Reader. To be eligible, students select in the submission form that their work is on the Common Reader.
Common Reader Archive
2025 – When My Brother Was an Aztec, by Natalie Diaz
2024 – Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020, by Carl Phillips
2023 – The Rock Eaters, by Brenda Peynado
2022 – Dear Martin, by Nic Stone
2021 – Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living, by Karen Auvinen
2020 – Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert, by Terry Tempest Williams
2019 – Work & Days, by Tess Taylor
2018 – The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henríquez
2017 – Almost Famous Women, by Megan Mayhew Bergman
2016 – The Soul Thief, by Charles Baxter
2015 – From Sand Creek, by Simon J. Ortiz
2014 – We the Animals, by Justin Torres
2013 – Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, by Anne Fadiman
2012 – Bellocq’s Ophelia, by Natasha Trethewey
2011 – Black Ice, by Lorene Cary
2010 – Song for Night (Akashic Books, 2007), by Chris Abani
2009 – Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, by Michael Perry
2008 – The Secrets of a Fire King, by Kim Edwards
