Rudolfo Anaya

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, developed in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

Taking its title from the original spelling of the city's name, Alburquerque is the story of a Chicano boxer's quest for identity  Abrán González always knew he was different. Called a coyote because of his fair skin, the kid from Barelas found escape through boxing and became one of the youngest Golden Gloves champions. But the arrival of a letter from a dying woman turns his entire life into a lie. The revelation that he was adopted makes him...

From the author of Bless Me, Ultima: Four mysteries featuring a Chicano PI in New Mexico. These four novels starring detective Sonny Baca are set against the lush terrain of the American Southwest, blending its Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultures. * Zia Summer: Sonny Baca's cousin Gloria is brutally slain, her body found drained of blood with a Zia sun sign-the symbol on the New Mexican flag-carved on her stomach. His quest to find her...

A magical collection of 10 stories based on the folklore and oral traditions of Mexican and Native American cuentistas. Rich in the folklore of his ancestors, Rudolfo Anaya's tales will delight young readers from across the globe. In stories both original and passed down, this bestselling author incorporates powerful themes of family, faith, and choosing the right path in life. In "Lupe and la Llorona," a 7th grader searches for the legendary Llorana;...

Fifty-two essays exploring identity, literature, immigration, and politics by one of the godfathers of Chicano literature. In his essay "The New World Man," Rudolfo Anaya writes, "I stand poised at the center of power, the knowing of myself, the heart and soul of the New World man alive in me." Best known for his novel Bless Me, Ultima, which established him as one of the founders of Chicano literature, The Essays illustrates Anaya's gift for storytelling...

A high-profile murder ignites a hotbed of political treachery and terrorist threats that pit the Chicano PI against his most formidable foe  Sonny Baca has learned to see beneath life's observable reality and develop a new kind of sight. The Chicano PI will need his most powerful guardian spirits when he's called in to investigate the death of the governor of New Mexico. Before the murder, Sonny dreamed of a body floating in dark, swirling water....

A spiritual parable about a rebel with the power to transform lives For thirty years, Fatimah has tended her herd of goats and waited for her lover to return. Amado was banished after leading a revolt against the cruel despots of their village-the Seventh City of the Fifth Sun. He followed the teachings of the wise men and women and roamed the desert in search of knowledge. When his exile finally ends, he returns transformed-no longer the innocent...

"Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. Ultima is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him as he discovers himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past-a mythic legacy as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America. And at each life turn, there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world . . . and will nurture...

The nameless narrator, a writer, shares his most intimate thoughts about his wife, their life together, and her death. But jus as death is inseparable from life, his wife seems still to be with him. Her memory and words permeate his days. It is a tale of a lifelong love that ultimately transcends death. - taken from book flap.

A mystery fantasy on PI Sonny Baca of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as he tries to outwit the evil spirit, Raven. The spirit has abducted some girls and the parents have asked Baca to get them back. The struggle plays out in Baca's dreams