Intellectual Cultural Vergazos
SalviSoul is starting a book club! You in, foo?
Why I’m Starting The SalviSoul Book Club
It used to happen all the time.
Every time I picked up a book to learn about El Salvador, I was hit with what I can only call intellectual cultural vergazos—harsh, jarring blows to my understanding of my own homeland. (Vergazos means beatings, and honestly, that’s what it felt like.)
One of my earliest memories in a library was searching the encyclopedias (this was pre-internet) for “El Salvador.” I’d find the "E" volume, flip to the entry, and see something like, "See Latin America." So I’d pick up the “L” book, find “Latin America,” and there it was—El Salvador, reduced to a single line:
"The smallest country in Central America. A 12-year civil war."
If I was lucky, it might mention pupusas. But let’s be real—it probably didn’t mention food at all.
And if I looked at news headlines? More vergazos. Gang wars. Poverty. Violence. A complete erasure of culture, of people, of joy.
When I finally had the capacity to read about the war, I had to teach myself to push through the pain, to set aside how triggering or harmful the experience might be—because the need to know outweighed the cost. And yet, even then, I found myself learning about Salvadoran history from non-Salvadoran writers. Outsiders, missing the nuance I craved.
Learning about my homeland has never been easy.
And yet, the older I get, the stronger and louder the impulse to learn becomes. Today, there are more resources, more voices, more ways to access our history. But with that comes a new kind of grief—the weight of knowing. The sobering reality of our past. It’s a cost we have to pay.
This is why I’m starting The SalviSoul Book Club.
Because for so long, learning about El Salvador has felt like a solitary act. In school, we lean on classmates to help us understand material, to commiserate over assignments. But when it came to reading about Salvadoran history, I was alone. And sometimes, you just can’t get as far on your own.
So, I want to change that. I want to create a space where we can learn together. A space where we don’t have to carry these stories alone.
How The SalviSoul Book Club Will Work:
📖 4 books per year. Not every book will focus on Salvadoran history, but each one will deepen our understanding in some way.
👥 Each book will feature a special guest. A partner to help guide the discussion and offer fresh perspectives.
⏳ 6 to 7-week reading cycles. No rush, no pressure—some books need time to sink in.
At the end of each cycle, we’ll come together for a discussion via Zoom—so no matter where you are, you can join in.
All updates, reflections, and reading insights will be shared exclusively through this Substack newsletter. So to be part of the book club, all you have to do is subscribe.
Let’s read, learn, and hold space for our stories—together.
First Book Details:
📚 Coffeeland: One Man’s Dark Empire and the Making of Our Favorite Drug by Augustine Sedgewick
📖 362 pages → roughly 7 pages per day to finish before our discussion in April.
👤 Special Guest: Gardenia Rosales, founder of Cipota Coffee—a Salvadoran coffee brand. I’ve had the honor of working with Gardenia before, and she’s even featured in Salvi Los Angeles. Watch her episode [here]. Buy Cipota Coffee and support this special Salvi coffee brand.
📅 Zoom Discussion: Week of April 21, 2025 (more details coming soon!)
Looking for a copy? Check your local independent bookstores or library! 📚✨
Gardenia came over and we shot this video in my kitchen. We had lots of fun. We did at least three takes, but most of this is from the first take. Sometimes, the first time is the most authentic and relaxed.
News
SalviSoul is gearing up to launch a food product line!! In order to do so successfully, however, I need your help and input.
A waiting list has opened for those who cook Salvadoran food and want to be the first to know about tasting events and other exclusives.
The Cookbook
If you’ve purchased The SalviSoul Cookbook, mis agradecimientos nunca seran suficientes, but if you haven’t yet, here’s a link!
See you in the next one!
Como siempre, con amor y SalviSoul,
Karla
Si, esa!
I am so disappointed that your IG post discussing this only just showed up on my algorithms today and I went on a hunt to join, I’d love to be a part of this! Thank you for the book rec! Got a lot of reading to catch up on!