We’re in the process of selecting the books for our 2013-2014 book group now, so check out our post on potential books for the upcoming year.  Let us know what you think about them, especially if you’ve read or heard about them. Check back in a couple of weeks for the finalized list of books for next year. Don’t forget our summer book group. We’d love to see you in June or July!

Keira and I will be back posting in July, offering some resources to help you get your new school year off to a great start! We’ll be back in full swing in August when we’ve got all of our team back.  Ailesha received a FLAS scholarship to study in Brazil for the summer! I can’t wait to hear all about it when she gets back!  Adam is spending the summer doing work related to his studies at the law school. Did you know he’s getting his law degree as well as his Master’s in Latin American Studies?! I know I’m biased, but I think we have a pretty amazing team here at Vamos a Leer.  We’re all looking forward to another great year working with all of you!

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing summer break filled with lots of beautiful sunsets. . .and maybe even a little sangria!

–Katrina

Photo by Flickr CC User: DrStarbuck

In 1994 the United States launched Operation Gatekeeper, effectively militarizing the US-Mexico border. Within three years, agents strapped with M4 rifles and .40 caliber submachine guns patrolled their newly-installed fences 24 hours a day. The INS budget and the size of the Border Patrol doubled during the same period and the easiest routes north were sealed. Policymakers envisioned human action in economic terms, expecting that people would make a “cost-benefit decision” before deciding to journey across more dangerous terrain. They believed that no rational actor would assume the “cost” of crossing Arizona’s Sonora Desert in the summertime.

Policymakers were wrong. Each day this summer, countless migrants will begin 4-5 day treks in 110 degree heat for a chance to live and work in the United States. Many will never make it out of the desert.

Acclaimed director Marco Williams recently released his documentary: “The Undocumented,” which has aired as part of PBS’s Independent Lens series. The documentary chronicles Arizona’s deadliest summer months:

• Humanitarian groups work tirelessly to identify remains and notify families in Mexico and in the US;
• Medical examiners see their workloads double, triple, quadruple;
• Even the de facto mission of the Border Patrol transforms as agents spend their days saving lives and recovering bodies.

“The Undocumented” (1 hr and 25 mins) is available to stream free online until May 29th. I highly recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to see the direct impact of US immigration policy on human lives. Interestingly, PBS will also be releasing a video game called “The Migrant Trail” in June to “introduce players to the hardships and perils of crossing the Sonora Desert.” Both of these resources are available by clicking the links above or visiting the PBS: Independent Lens website.

For Monday June 3rd we’re reading Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.  If you’ve been around Vamos a Leer much, you know that Sáenz is one of our favorite authors, so we’re incredibly excited to read his new collection of short stories which recently won the 2013 Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Click here to be taken to an interview with Sáenz about the book.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s stories reveal how all borders—real, imagined, sexual, human, the line between dark and light, addict and straight—entangle those who live on either side. Take, for instance, the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juárez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It’s a touchstone for each of Sáenz’s stories. His characters walk by, they might go in for a drink or to score, or they might just stay there for a while and let their story be told. Sáenz knows that the Kentucky Club, like special watering holes in all cities, is the contrary to borders. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It’s a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. “I’m going home to the other side.” That’s a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is a highly regarded writer of fiction, poetry, and children’s literature. Like these stories, his writing crosses borders and lands in our collective psyche. Poets & Writers Magazine named him one of the fifty most inspiring writers in the world. He’s been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN Center’s prestigious award for young adult fiction. Sáenz is the chair of the creative writing department of University of Texas at El Paso. (From Cinco Puntos Press)

For Monday July 1st we’re reading Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea.  This book is the sequel to The Hummingbird’s Daughter.   Based on recommendations from our book group, I finally read that one and loved it! So, I’m really looking forward to reading Queen of America.  We scheduled this one for July so that everyone would have time to read the first book before we read the sequel.

At turns heartbreaking, uplifting, fiercely romantic, and riotously funny, QUEEN OF AMERICA tells the unforgettable story of a young woman coming of age and finding her place in a new world. Beginning where Luis Alberto Urrea’s bestselling The Hummingbird’s Daughter left off, QUEEN OF AMERICA finds young Teresita Urrea, beloved healer and “Saint of Cabora,” with her father in 1892 Arizona. But, besieged by pilgrims in desperate need of her healing powers, and pursued by assassins, she has no choice but to flee the borderlands and embark on an extraordinary journey into the heart of turn-of-the-century America.

Teresita’s passage will take her to New York, San Francisco, and St. Louis, where she will encounter European royalty, Cuban poets, beauty queens, anxious immigrants and grand tycoons-and, among them, a man who will force Teresita to finally ask herself the ultimate question: is a saint allowed to fall in love?

Luis Alberto Urrea is the author of, among other books, The Devil’s Highway, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, and Into the Beautiful North. Winner of a Lannan Literary Award and Christopher Award, he is also the recipient of an American Book Award, the Kiriyama Prize, the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Literary Award, a Western States Book Award, a Colorado Book Award, an Edgar Award and a citation of excellence from the American Library Association. He is a member of the Latino Literary Hall of Fame. (From Amazon.com)

We hope to see you there! There’s no need to register, so feel free to just stop by in June and/or July. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments and we’ll get back to you.

–Katrina

]]> http://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/summer-reaing-vamos-a-leer-book-group/feed/ 1 katdillon Kentucky Club Queen of America http://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/mira-look-themed-book-lists-indigenous-peoples-rights/ http://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/mira-look-themed-book-lists-indigenous-peoples-rights/#comments Tue, 14 May 2013 22:03:25 +0000 Ailesha http://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/?p=3607 Continue reading →]]>

Photo from Flickr CC user: Casbr

Hello readers! This week I wanted to give you some resources on teaching about indigenous peoples and rights. Sadly, unjustly and unfortunately, the stories, histories and struggles of Native peoples are left out of history, literature and culture. But their stories deserve to be heard, to be understood and cherished. Many children in our schools identify as a Native American, or a Native Central or South American, we owe it to them to enlighten ourselves to the resources available that showcase their culture and share it with their classmates. Not all of these books are award winners, but I will highlight the ones that are and the links are directly to the book’s Amazon page.

Books on Indigenous Peoples & Rights

• What the Moon Saw — Laura Resau — Ages 8-12 — Américas Award Honorable Mention
• Colibrí – Ann Cameron — Ages 12-15
• Abuela’s Weave — Omar S. Castaneda — Ages 5-7
• Rain Player — David Wisiniewski — Ages 5-8
• Mario’s Mayan Journey — Michelle McCunney — Ages Pre-K-6
• The Corn Grows Ripe — Dorothy Rhoads — Ages 5-8 — Newbery Honor Book
• The True Books: Ancient Civilizations Series–Books on Maya, Aztec and Inca — Ages 5-9
• The Most Beautiful Place in the World — Ann Cameron — Ages 8-12
• Miro in the Kingdom of the Sun — Jane Kurtz — Ages 5-8

As always, please help us expand our list in the comments section.

Welcoming summer with much happiness,

-Ailesha

Click here for a PDF that includes the list below.

The Color of My Words by Joseph Lynn | ages 8 and up | available in Spanish | Dominican Republic
What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau | ages 8 and up | United States and Mexico
An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio by Judith Ortiz Cofer | ages 8 and up | Puerto Rico

Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle | ages 10 and up | Cuba
Milagros by Meg Medina | ages 10 and up | Caribbean
Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall | ages 10 and up | Mexico

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz | ages 12 and up | United States
Colibrí by Ann Cameron | ages 12 and up | available in Spanish | Guatemala
The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle | ages 12 and up | Cuba
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano | ages 12 and up | United States and Puerto Rico
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork | ages 12 and up | United States

Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña | ages 14 and up | United States
Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann | ages 14 and up | United States and Chile
In Darkness by Nick Lake | ages 14 and up | Haiti

Logo from the De Colores blog can be found at: http://decoloresreviews.blogspot.com

The libraries are loaded with children’s books that address Latino culture. Some of these books provide multifaceted, culturally honest insight into the histories and experiences of Latino people. Many do not. It’s fair to say that we can easily fill a room with “multicultural” books that are superficial or even plainly dishonest.

Luckily, De Colores: “The Raza Experience in Books for Children” has recently hit the blogosphere, reviewing and critiquing “children’s and young adult books about Raza peoples throughout the Diaspora.” The blog’s contributors–a dream team of award-winning authors, educators, community activists, and artists–have already reviewed dozens of books, creating an essential resource for parents, teachers, and librarians who are interested in moving beyond token treatment of heroes and holidays.

De Colores features collections on El Día de los Muertos, Sonia Sotomayor, La Llorona, Latina Cinderella, and César Chávez–as well as the best description of Cinco de Mayo that I’ve ever read. Some of the books that we’ve created educator’s guides for have also been reviewed at De Colores, including Under the Mesquite, Journey of Dreams, and Queen of Water.

All reviewed books are listed in alphabetical order beneath the special collections, which are located at the top right side of the page. There are tabs along the top of the page that provide information about the blog itself. I recommend spending a few minutes clicking through the different tabs to get a sense of the types of reviews that De Colores writes.

“So what is la Raza,” you ask?

In De Colores’ words:

For many people, the word “Raza” goes back to an ancestral place; it’s old, grounded in the people whose blood runs deep in this hemisphere. Embodied in La Raza is the story of how the world was once black and white, and how it was transformed into a rainbow of colors. Embodied in La Raza is the blood of Inca, Maya, Mexica, Tolteca, Zapoteca, and hundreds of other Indigenous peoples—some mixed with the blood of the conquerors, some mixed with the blood of the enslaved, and some mixed with both.

It’s great to see new resources that are inspired by and inspire this identity. It’s even better when the resource is as well thought out and carefully executed as the De Colores blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

- Adam

On a more personal note, I just wanted to thank all of you readers, commenters and ‘likers’. This has been such a great foray into the blog world; writing about something that truly effects the lives of many people, writing it for people who work tirelessly everyday to instill a sense of knowledge, joy, pride and compassion into our future. Thank you for your hard work, it does NOT go unnoticed. Have an excellent, adventurous summer. I hope you discover something new, enjoy the sunshine, flowers, birds and gentle breezes.

Books on Immigration:

• Star in the Forest — Laura Resau — Ages 7-10 — Américas Award Commended (numerous other awards as well).
• Crossing the Wire — Will Hobbs — Ages 8-12 — Américas Award Commended (numerous other awards as well).
• Life, After — Sarah Littman — Ages 10-13
• Homestretch — Paul Volponi — Ages 15-18
• Downtown Boy — Juan Felipe Herrera — Ages 9-13 — Tomás Rivera Award (about the immigrant experience after immigration and setting down roots)
• How Tía Lola Came to Stay — Julie Alvarez — Ages 7-9 (Tía Lola series)
• Call me María — Judith Ortiz Cofer — Ages 8-12
• Behind the Mountain — Edwidge Danticat — Ages 12-15

Happy Reading!

-Ailesha

Reblogged from the open book:

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Our recent grant from First Book inspired us to ask our authors about the crucial role multicultural books play in children’s lives. Guest blogger, author/poet Guadalupe Garcia McCall, reveals how the mission of First Book, to get low-income children their very first book, is a reality that many children face, including herself when she was growing up. 

First Book's mission to make books accessible to low-income families is very close to my heart.

Read more… 639 more words

An important theme in the book is cancer.  As I shared with our book group last night, I came across a really interesting article from Rethinking Schools on teaching about cancer.  The article, “Facing Cancer: Social Justice in Biology Class,” is available for free on the Rethinking Schools website. Used along with Under the Mesquite, it would be a great way to link science, social justice and literature.

While May was our last month for young adult literature (until August), we’ve enjoyed our book group so much that we’re going to keep meeting in June and July–but for these two months we’ll be reading some adult literature.  Feel free to join us if you’ll be around! I’ll write a post soon with information on our two book selections, so check back!

Good luck with these last few weeks of school!!

–Katrina

Description (From GoodReads):

Lupita, a budding actor and poet in a close-knit Mexican American immigrant family, comes of age as she struggles with adult responsibilities during her mother’s battle with cancer in this young adult novel in verse.

When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don’t always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami’s life.

While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write. Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses, Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words.

Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita’s journey toward hope is captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience.

My thoughts:

Under the Mesquite is a beautiful book.  While it was a quick read, it lingered in my mind.  I found myself continuing to think about it days after I’d finished it.  It’s a book that is certainly worth a second (or even third) read.  The first time through I was engrossed in the story, only subconsciously aware of the beauty and simplicity of McCall’s verse. When I returned to the  novel later, I found myself incredibly moved by the imagery and sentiments conveyed through McCall’s words.  I think Lyn Miller-Lachmann describes it best in her own review: “. . .one of the most achingly beautiful novels I’ve read in a long time. It is a story from the heart, not written to fit into a marketing category but to remember, to honor, and to bear witness.”

As many of you may already know, one of my favorite reads from the past year was

Photo taken by Rosa Say
Courtesy of flickr creative commons

Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.  To borrow Lachmann’s words, it too, was achingly beautiful.  I found myself reminded of Sammy & Juliana as I read Under the Mesquite.  Both are poignant coming of age stories that refuse to sugar-coat the reality of their protagonists who have to grow up too quickly, shouldering responsibilities not meant for teenagers.  Like Sammy, Lupita is strong–she struggles, but she is resilient.  Often times our students learn too early that life isn’t always fair, much like Lupita.  Unfortunately, they’re not always given the support or the knowledge to deal with it. Under the Mesquite offers an example of how to not only survive, but to eventually thrive.  An important symbol throughout the story is the mesquite tree.  No matter how hard Mami tries, she can’t seem to get rid of the mesquite growing in her rose garden.  Yet, by the end of the story, the mesquite has come to represent Lupita as she writes,

I agree, but it isn’t its beauty
that strikes me.  I envy the mesquite
its undaunted spirit, its ability to turn
even a disabling pruning
into an unexpected opportunity
to veer in a different direction,
flourishing more profusely than before (p. 141).

Lupita’s strength doesn’t just show in how she deals with the death of her mother, but also in how she navigates the difficult waters of identity.  Lupita must struggle to determine for herself what it means to be a Mexican and a woman.  When Lupita becomes involved in drama, her teacher Mr. Cortés, suggests that they must work on getting rid of her Spanish accent.  Yet, when Lupita does this, her identity as a Mexican is questioned by her closest friends:

“You talk like you’re one of them.”
She spits out the word in disgust
and looks down at her lunch tray,
like she can’t stand the sight of me.
“One of them?” I ask.
“Let me translate for you,”
Sarita sneers.  “You talk like
you wanna be white “. . .
“What,” Sarita asks, “you think you’re
Anglo now ’cause you’re in Drama?
You think you’re better than us?”
“No—”
“Then stop trying to act like
them,” Mireya says accusingly.
“You’re Mexican, just like the rest of us. . . ” (p. 80-81).

But Lupita doesn’t let others define her identity.  Instead, she responds,

Being Mexican
means more than that.
It means being there for each other.
It’s togetherness, like a familia.
We should be helping one another,
not trying to bring them down.
. . . I’m not acting white! I want to shout
after my so-called friends.
I couldn’t be more Mexican
if you stamped a cactus on my forehead (p. 83).

One of my favorite poetry sections is “señorita” where Lupita describes the various ways her family members and friends define the significance of señorita. Lupita must grapple with what it means for her, and the conclusions she arrives at reveal the ways in which Lupita has realized she must grown up.  For Lupita, a señorita

. . .is the end of wild laughter.
The end of chewing bubble gum
and giggling over nothing
with my friends at the movies, our feet up
on the backs of the theater seats.
. . .I’m trying my best
to be a good daughter and accept
the clipping of my wings,
the taming of my heart.
. . .Señorita is a niña,
the girl I used to be,
who has lost her voice (p. 77).

By the end of the story, the reader has experienced all four years of high school with Lupita.  We see Lupita struggle to define herself as she deals the harsh realities of life, and we get to see her begin to heal and move on a stronger person.  This is one of the reasons I think Lupita is such a powerful protagonist for our students.  Lupita doesn’t let the struggle defeat her:

. . .at last I feel something unfurl within me.
Like a shoot growing from what remains–a tiny piece
of buried mesquite root–
determination flourishes (p. 194).

I’m not alone in thinking Under the Mesquite is an amazing book–it is the winner of the 2012 Pura Belpré Author Medal, the 2012 William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist, and the 2013 Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award. I hope you’ll consider adding it to your classroom library.  Click here to be taken to our Educator’s Guide for the book.

If you’d like to read what others have thought about the book check out the links to other reviews below:

• Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s review from De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
• Sarah’s review on Slatebreakers

If you’re an Albuquerque local I hope you’ll join us tonight at Bookworks from 5-7 for some coffee and conversation about Under the Mesquite!

–Katrina

Good for: Gathering Books AWB Challenge (2012 Pura Belpré Author Medal, the 2012 William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist, and the 2013 Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award) and My Overstuffed Bookshelf YA Reading Challenge