NIB No. 1 · Limited First Edition
What
Freedom
Cost
A visual memoir of Black freedom,
healing, and the journey back to self.
🎁 First-time Blurb customers save 30% at checkout — your copy could be as low as $66 before shipping.
Order Your Copy - Save 30% →About the Book
A mirror.
An invitation.
A ripple.
What does freedom cost you, physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally?
What Freedom Cost is the first publication from Nature is Balm, a visual and written journey through one Black woman's pursuit of healing, identity, and liberation.
Told in three chapters, this intimate memoir moves from a childhood shaped by racism and the resilience of a remarkable mother, through a season of profound personal darkness, to the transformative work of cultural reconnection that became Nature is Balm.
More than a book, this is a conversation about what we've each had to sacrifice in the pursuit of freedom, and what it will take to reclaim what was lost.
"Nature is Balm is a visual and physical representation of Black joy, freedom, healing, and connection. It's a byproduct of intentional work around self-love, cultural connection, unearthing repressed emotions, acknowledging the cycles that hinder growth, and choosing grace."Nandi Kaye, Author & Founder
This book is the companion piece to the What Freedom Cost showcase, a multi-part visual and performance-based project co-curated by Nature is Balm and Behind the Walls, Between the Lines, presented in Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
Explore the full showcase →
Inside the Book
Three chapters.
One journey home.
Chapter 1
The Tax
Growing up in New York City's public housing, Nandi faced a world that threatened her innocence. But her mother, Veronica, built a sanctuary of strength, instilling a fierce sense of Blackness, identity, and the power of voice that would carry Nandi her whole life. A trip to Nigeria changed everything.
Chapter 2
The Pursuit
In 2020, Nandi was thrust into an intense season of healing, navigating personal loss, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation while working within the criminal justice system. Travel became her path through the darkness. In surrendering control and daring to be vulnerable, she found true freedom.
Chapter 3
The Future
Personal healing became a movement. Nature is Balm was born from Nandi's belief that wholeness comes from deep connection, to our inner being and to our ancestral lands. This chapter is about what becomes possible when we reclaim what was taken, together.
"What price have you paid for freedom? What has freedom cost you, physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally?"
A question woven through every page of this book.
Book Details
A limited
first edition.
NIB No. 1 is the inaugural publication from Nature is Balm. Printed as a limited hardcover edition, this book is both a personal memoir and a cultural artifact, something to hold, return to, and pass on.
- Title What Freedom Cost
- Series NIB No. 1
- Author Nandi Kaye
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 40 pages
- Publisher Nature is Balm
- Edition Limited First Edition
- Fulfillment Print-on-demand via Blurb
- Price $95 + $6.99 shipping
- Discount 30% off for first-time Blurb orders
Order Your Copy
A stone cast across the water creates many ripples. What changes are you leaving in your wake?
Join the movement. Reclaim the story. Begin the journey home.
$95Visit the What Freedom Cost Showcase