The Author & Publisher, Lalita Yeldell-Sylvers book cover is an illustration of how she feels as a result of the racism, classism, and oppression she continues to experience after having been wrongfully convicted and incarcerated over a decade ago.  The image displays an African American woman with her head turned to the left, looking upward crying. There are bars in front of her and her left arm is handcuffed behind her back.  There is a word doodle in the shape of a heart dripping blood on her back.  She is holding up her right fist and her back is bare. 

​

The woman’s head turned to the left looking upward while crying is a representation of hurt and pain, but displays hope and strength.  The bars in front of her and her left arm handcuffed behind her back represents captivity as she feels trapped emotionally, mentally, and physically.  The heart shape word doodle on her back with the negative connotations, ex. (Black Lives Don’t Matter), the words represent how she is treated by society, how society views her, the mistreatment she’s had to endure at the hands of the judicial and prison system, and how society has made her feel.  The blood dripping from the heart represents the pain she carries and feel as a result of her experience with the judicial system, the prison system, and law enforcement.  Her right fist held up with the writing of Black Lives Matter represents her unwillingness to give up as she continues to fight for what she believes in, in spite of how things look or how others view her.  She knows and believes she is somebody, and that her life does matter. The woman’s back being bare represents her being stripped of everything, mentally, emotionally, and physically resulting in feelings of humiliation. 

​

The title of the book Circumcision of A Wounded Heart represents the authors acknowledgement of the hurt, pain, and bitterness endured.  She recognizes that she has to tear back the layers of pain from her heart in order to heal and overcome the trials and tribulations she’s been faced with.  Throughout this reading you will see many transformations that the author, Lalita Yeldell-Sylvers has to go through in order to overcome racism, classism, & oppression in a society she feels like she has been expelled from.