Walter outlines the benefits of dance meditation and Zen Buddhism for Black cancer patients in this nonfiction book.

American culture and racism, argues Walter, combine in a toxic mixture that impacts the health and well-being of Black Americans. Per the author, the United States fosters a culture of greed and anger as racism simultaneously “tears and shatters” the “dreams and hopes” of Black communities. Born in Los Angeles, Walter experienced racism firsthand in both subtle and overt ways. Her mother was born in segregated Oklahoma, and her father was killed by a police officer when she was 12 years old. After receiving her doctorate degree in dance history and theory from the University of California, Riverside, she often found herself marginalized in higher education’s predominantly white spaces. In this genre-blending work, the author tells her personal story within the larger context of American history, eventually centering her experiences with Zen Buddhism. (The historic overview of racism in America is combined with the story of Zen Buddhism’s arrival in 19th-century California, via Chinese immigrants.) Walter was engaged with Christianity throughout much of her life, serving as a deaconess in church. Unfulfilled by her religion and angered by the weight of racism on her life, she experimented with other spiritual systems (including Kabbalah), eventually finding her way to California’s Tassajara Zen Monastery. It was there that she discovered the salve to her lifetime of anger and spiritual hunger: “I’ve learned about how the self and its ego are sources of suffering for people of color, and about releasing ourselves and others from it through Zen Buddhism,” she writes.

This poignant, historically grounded look at American racism offers a valuable perspective on the intersection of race, gender, and healthcare in American history. In addition to providing memoir material and social commentary, the work also serves as a primer on Zen Buddhist teachings and meditation techniques. (The author discusses Zen Buddhism’s role in helping her navigate her diagnosis with multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer.) While delivering a searing indictment of the ways in which the U.S. healthcare system treats Black women, Walter emphasizes how her involvement with Dance Meditation (a technique long practiced by Tibetan Buddhists) has helped her confront illness, death, and worldly priorities. The text details dance moves accompanied by photographs demonstrating various steps. The practice of Kinhin (meditative walking) is framed by the author as “a mindful dance”; she offers readers a step-by-step guide to feet alignment, body positions, and steps. The work’s final chapter provides sample daily routines that highlight the meditative discipline of Zazen and includes specific recitations (such as a “Loving Kindness Meditation”) and mantras (“I take refuge in buddha / Before all beings”). Accessible to readers without any background in Buddhist philosophy, the volume also reflects the academic background of the author, who supports her arguments with endnotes and a scholarly bibliography. While the book’s title targets Black cancer patients, the work is broadly applicable to anyone looking to improve their physical health and wellbeing.

A well-researched memoir, historical survey, and spiritual guidebook.