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Queen of America

by Luis Alberto Urrea (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 486 ratings · 126 reviews

After the bloody Tomochic rebellion, Teresita Urrea, beloved healer and "Saint of Cabora," flees with her father to Arizona. But their plans are derailed when she once again is claimed as the spiritual leader of the Mexican Revolution. Besieged by pilgrims and pursued by assassins, Teresita embarks on a journey through turn-of-the-century industrial America-New York, San F...more

Hardcover, 496 pages

Published November 28th 2011 by Little, Brown and Company (first published January 1st 2011)

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Books Banned in Arizona 2012

30th out of 43 books — 8 voters

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Jan 01, 2012 Cassandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, mexico

I've been waiting for this to come out for over a year! The prequel, "The Hummingbird's Daughter" is one of the best books I've ever read. And I have yet to find a Urrea book I dislike. Needless to say, I have high hopes for this.

Post-reading: happy to report this book did not disappoint me. I loved watching Teresita become a wife & mother, and try to figure out her role in the U.S.

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Jan 01, 2013 Annie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction, history, religion

Luis Urrea has done it again. He has left me overwhelmed by another beautiful, lyrical, compelling story. It took me time to get through this one because his work needs to be savored. I loved the Hummingbird's Daughter so much I wasn't sure that he could live up to the expectations I had for this sequel but he surpassed them. Once again, lovely, moving and tender prose along side a magical, yet fully human cast of characters all wrapped up in masterful storytelling. It is thankfully, a very diff...more

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May 16, 2012 Carl Brush rated it 5 of 5 stars

You may not have been wondering, as I had, what happened to Saint Teresita after the central figure of The Hummingbird’s Daughter saved her fleeing family from extermination by standing atop their train, arms outspread, hair flowing in the breeze, as it chugged through a narrow defile on its way from Mexico to Arizona, escaping attack only because the marauders feared for their very souls to assault the legendary young girl who offered herself in such a sacrificial pose. Then The Queen of Americ...more You may not have been wondering, as I had, what happened to Saint Teresita after the central figure of The Hummingbird’s Daughter saved her fleeing family from extermination by standing atop their train, arms outspread, hair flowing in the breeze, as it chugged through a narrow defile on its way from Mexico to Arizona, escaping attack only because the marauders feared for their very souls to assault the legendary young girl who offered herself in such a sacrificial pose. Then The Queen of America appeared on my Kindle as a birthday gift soon after its publication and wonder replaced the wondering.
We find the Urrea’s--not the author, but his ancestors--Teresita and her father, Tomas, ensconced in mode
st circumstances in Arizona desert mountains. lt’s a refuge from enemies as well as from Teresita’s followers who have exhausted the family seeking healing and blessings. Tomas maintains an income from his Mexican holdings, and they remain in contact with their cousin in El Paso, who makes a living publishing a newspaper devoted to the overthrow on the Mexican dictator Diaz.

The peace doesn’t last long. Assassins appear along with pilgrims, and the world returns to essentially the same turmoil they fled from in Mexico. However, they are not in Mexico, they are in turn-of-the-twentieth-century America, a yeasty mix of new politics, religion, business, and technology. Before long, Teresita’s healing turns into a commercial enterprise, and we commence an entertaining and meaningful journey from El Paso to NYC and points in between, during which we experience a host of new-fangled gadgets up to and including a flying machine, hear a montage of popular melodies, and feel what it’s like to become a stranger in a strange land.

In many ways, The Queen of America is a coming of age story about Teresita’s emergence from adolescence to adulthood. Even a saint--a title she constantly denies--is subject to the same errors of passion as the rest of us mortals, and thanks to the power of Urrea’s prose--the author’s, not his ancestors--we experience the joys and the consequences of her mistakes right along with her. Her father, Tomas, remains his stubborn, stormy self, and the conflict between father and daughter reaches nearly the proportions of Greek tragedy before the book is over.

Together, I see Queen and Hummingbird as a grand hymn to passion--passion and magic of the spirit of the kind that appears in the person of Huila, a sort of bruja-Virgil who can take us to exotic, dangerous, and joyous realms--if we posses courage and folly enough to follow.(less)

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Jan 25, 2012 Kkraemer rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the second half of a fictionalized life of Teresita, the "Saint of Cabora." Teresita was given the gift of healing, and is sought after for her spiritual powers. People gather wherever she goes to have her give her blessing and mend their bodies. Rebels carry her picture with them to battle. Opposing assassins come to kill her.

and she is in her teens, a saint. This poses problems: teenage girls have lots of challenges already, but adding "sainthood" makes life even more complex, both for...more

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Dec 25, 2011 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, multi-cultural

I loved Luis Alberto Urrea’s Into the Beautiful North so when I found out about the opportunity to review Queen of America, I jumped.

drey’s thoughts:

Queen of America is a long and rambly story of Teresita Urrea – the Saint of Cabora – after she escapes Mexico and lands in the United States – and chronicles her journey from healer to wife to mother.

As you follow along on her travels, you often forget that Teresita is only barely out of her teenage years. She learns that fame is fleeting – wealth...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Kalen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads

I'm not entirely sure where to start here, but I loved this book and devoured it, as I do all of Urrea's books. He's definitely become one of my favorite authors and one I can always recommend without hesitation.

Queen of America is a sequel to the epic Hummingbird's Daughter, and they can definitely be read out-of-order, but I recommend reading them in order. The characters are all so colorful and so full of life that you'll want to get to know them in the first book.

Urrea's storytelling is ma...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Digna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Live, love and laugh along with the Queen of America and her menagerie of characters.

As a first time reader of this authors work, I was quite surprised by Urrea's writing style. His Queen of America is definitely not what I expected, in fact it was better than I expected. The main character of this book, Teresita, on who the story is based, actually existed, although most of the book is fiction. Urrea has a pre-sequel to this book, which I have not yet read, however this did not affect my readin...more Live, love and laugh along with the Queen of America and her menagerie of characters.

As a first time reader of this authors work, I was quite surprised by Urrea's writing style. His Queen of America is definitely not what I expected, in fact it was better than I expected. The main character of this book, Teresita, on who the story is based, actually existed, although most of the book is fiction. Urrea has a pre-sequel to this book, which I have not yet read, however this did not affect my reading of Queen of America, as it did not read like a sequel. I actually was completely surprised to learn Teresita was actually a real healer in her time back in the early 1900's instead of a fictitious character. This I did not note until after I read the notes and acknowledgement section at the end of the book.

Urrea's quirky style of writing and his list of characters remind me of a western-style movie with comedy scattered throughout. Teresita, her family, and friends are all characters one quickly feels comfortable with and the ongoing saga made it was difficult to put this book down. Being of Hispanic descent but not Mexican, I understood some of the Mexican words scattered throughout the book, while other times I had no idea what the word might mean. However, this did not in any way keep me from enjoying this book and I laughed out loud many times throughout this book. At other times it I was so caught up in the characters it was as if I was family. Teresita seems like the average poor Mexican, however, she also has a gift of what this generation may call healing of the hands. A term that back in the 1900's was considered by some to be witchcraft and at times she is ostracized for it. This book was an amazing adventure of love, laughter, pain and sorrow as Teresita lives her life, at times traveling across the continental United States. Urrea's words seem to carry you, when you feel the heat of the desolate desert or the scraping of the horse between your legs, while winding through the hills of Arizona. At other times you are riding on a windowless, dusty train through hills and valleys of the Old West with awe and wonder at the first glimpse of a creek bed or river, or maybe even the ocean. What may happen next? The wonders seem to never cease for what Teresita's next contingency may be. Yet in the end, Teresita finds exactly what she is longing for. (less)

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Dec 01, 2011 Paula rated it 4 of 5 stars

Don’t tell my husband but, ever since reading “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” earlier this year, I have a major crush on Luis Alberto Urrea. I was so enthralled with that book that I immediately read his maybe autobiography “Nobody’s Son” and followed that up with the chilling “Devil’s Highway” (highly recommend). When I heard that a sequel to “Hummingbird” was due in late 2011, I went on a mad search for an ARC copy and did find one, which I just managed to finish as he is starting the book tour f...more Don’t tell my husband but, ever since reading “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” earlier this year, I have a major crush on Luis Alberto Urrea. I was so enthralled with that book that I immediately read his maybe autobiography “Nobody’s Son” and followed that up with the chilling “Devil’s Highway” (highly recommend). When I heard that a sequel to “Hummingbird” was due in late 2011, I went on a mad search for an ARC copy and did find one, which I just managed to finish as he is starting the book tour for “Queen of America.”

But “Queen” is a very different book. Not better, not worse but definitely not as magical. And perhaps that is part of the point. In “Queen of America,” Teresita Urrea is older and certainly frayed around the edges after her exodus from Mexico and pursuit by all manner of nefarious characters bent on her destruction. Tomas, her father, is a bit at odds and ends without his beloved consort, Gaby. He drinks too much, is getting older and less vibrant, but the charm and mischief-making are still evident.

With her maturity, Teresita’s thoughts turn to the opposite sex and, like many of us, she makes her fair share of mistakes. It is perhaps the very human-ness of Teresita that lies at the core of “Queen”, giving the book a very different feel. Where “Hummingbird’s Daughter” introduces a magical character, filled with the exuberance of learning healing arts and magical cures, “Queen” brings us a wearier soul, who has commercialized her healing powers and seems to be trapped by them. Virtually all her relationships hit speed bumps, some which are irreparable. It would be easy to be disappointed by this turn of events but perhaps that is the message. While we are enthralled by larger-than-life celebrities, it’s easy to forget that they really are human, subject to the same mistakes, second guessing and heartaches as the rest of we mere mortals, with the exception of having to live out those dramas for the whole world to witness.(less)

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Dec 27, 2011 Peg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea. This novel was provided to me free-of-charge by GoodRead, FirstReads. This is a well-researched, brilliant, historical-fiction novel based on the real-life of a relative of a powerful storyteller, Luis Alberto Urrea. It is a follow-up to 'The Hummingbird's Daughter' and it picks up where the first novel left off. Our heroine is Teresita, also known as the Saint of Cabora because of healings she performed on people who were suffering from a variety of malad...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Luis Alberto Urrea has done it again.
Urrea has released his new book, Queen of America (Little, Brown), the sequel to his brilliant 2005 novel, The Hummingbird’s Daughter. And while the tone of the books is different, the book is classic Urrea.
In Daughter, Teresita Urrea (the author’s great aunt) discovered her healing powers, earning her the name “Saint of Cabora” and leading an uprising of Mexican revolutionaries that prompted her and her father to escape to the north. America describes her j...more Luis Alberto Urrea has done it again.
Urrea has released his new book, Queen of America (Little, Brown), the sequel to his brilliant 2005 novel, The Hummingbird’s Daughter. And while the tone of the books is different, the book is classic Urrea.
In Daughter, Teresita Urrea (the author’s great aunt) discovered her healing powers, earning her the name “Saint of Cabora” and leading an uprising of Mexican revolutionaries that prompted her and her father to escape to the north. America describes her journey to the United States, taking her from Arizona to El Paso to California to St. Louis to New York City. Teresita finds love along the way, but she also realizes the negative effects of being a celebrity, such as in this passage when she thinks about how her friends think of her now:
“They had once been her neighbors and friends, and then they become her followers. She felt a small chill of horror. Followers! It was terrible to have followers. But it was more terrible that part of her liked it.
Of course, she could not control her fanatics, only herself. Balance, again. When she had followers, she was watched over by the government and the newspapers. People copied her words in notebooks. She caught herself wondering what she had said and worrying all night if this time her careless utterances would lead to someone’s death or some outbreak of madness she could not have foreseen. Sometimes you just want to speak without measuring your words! Sometimes you want to laugh and sing! Sometimes you just want to ride your horse!”
That passage shows why Urrea is such a great writer. He’s just so much fun to read. Besides his beautiful descriptions and witty dialogue, he also creates some memorable characters, such as Teresita’s father, Don Tómas. His selfishness, arrogance and lack of self-awareness brings some of the biggest laughs in the book.
Check out this dialogue between Teresita and Tómas:
“ ‘I never said I was a saint … I am a prophet.’
‘Oh God, no,’ he said. ‘What you are is nineteen years old.’”
Or read this conversation between Tómas and a businessman seeking to exploit Teresita:
“‘You will provide for her with your Consortium profits. You incorporate. Partners. But structured so that she can honestly say she took nothing. It will honor her, shall we say, religious beliefs.’
‘I love America,’ Tómas said.”
But Tomas is absent from the last half of the book as Queen focuses mostly on Teresita’s journey. And then the book becomes somber, as Teresita realizes that not everyone has the best intentions for her and she yearns to return to her homeland. The reader becomes a bit melancholy, too, as another great book comes to an end.

This review appeared on my blog, http://hispanicreader.com.(less)

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Feb 15, 2012 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This book really surprised me. I am new to this author. I had no preconceived notions of this book. I saw it on the shelf at the library in the new books section and thought, "Why not?" The beginning was hard to get into, but that is probably because I didn't read the first book.

The setting is vivid and lovely. The author is concise with his writting, but he still paints a wonderful picture of this world. And the discription of food! It made me so hungry. But I think the thing that really g...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just about all families have at least one story of a mythical, mystical relative. In Urrea's family, that person was his great-aunt Teresita. This is the very necessary sequel to his first novel about her, The Hummingbird's Daughter. Of course there is magical realism here, since Teresita was a renowned curandera whom some (not herself) called a saint. But the real magic of these books is the humanity and humor found in the very flawed, profane, larger-than-life characters surrounding the Santa....more

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Apr 22, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another installment in the story of Teresita, the Saint of Cabora. A real figure so I guess this qualifies as historical fiction. Real parameters but you have to guess at a lot of the details.

I love his details. Luis Urrea paints such a rich picture of Teresita, the characters surrounding her and her life. I love the details of the world she is moving through and I love the way he humanizes a woman who would otherwise simply be another fabulous but forgotten folk hero from the Southwest.

There a...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, fiction, mexico, arizona, historical-fiction

ARC received through the Goodreads First Reads program.

I made a bit of a blunder when I received this book--I didn't immediately find a copy of The Hummingbird's Daughter to read first. As a result, I felt like I was plunked down in the middle of a story, and it took a bit of flailing around to find my place and grab hold of the narrative thread. Granted, I still have not read The Hummingbird's Daughter, so I can't be certain that's why I didn't enjoy Queen of America as much as I expected to.

Te...more ARC received through the Goodreads First Reads program.

I made a bit of a blunder when I received this book--I didn't immediately find a copy of The Hummingbird's Daughter to read first. As a result, I felt like I was plunked down in the middle of a story, and it took a bit of flailing around to find my place and grab hold of the narrative thread. Granted, I still have not read The Hummingbird's Daughter, so I can't be certain that's why I didn't enjoy Queen of America as much as I expected to.

Teresita is 19 when the story begins. She and her father are living in Arizona, away from their home in Mexico. At the beginning of the story there are assassins after Teresita, but that sort of threat isn't present throughout the whole book. I believe that's a holdover from the first book, but it felt a little disjointed to me.

One device I found interesting was the way the passage of time sped up. At the beginning of the book, Teresita is 19. Time seems to pass slowly through the experiences at the beginning of the book, then speeds up as she travels to San Francisco and beyond under her contract with the Consortium. This seemed to be indicative of both how time speeds up as you get older and how urban America is more of a whirlwind of activity than rural Arizona or Mexico.

I love the way Urrea writes conversations. They're beautiful, and pick up the pace a bit in an often meandering book. The book, as a whole, doesn't seem to follow a well-structured story, but is more of a series of medications on different episodes in Teresita's life. In this particular case, that style didn't work for me very well.

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did. I felt lost not knowing the backstory, and although some of the gaps were filled in there were still enough of them for me to really feel I was missing things. The story didn't really grab me, either--largely because I didn't feel strong connections to the characters.

Teresita, the Saint of Cabora, was a real woman. What's more, Urrea is a relative--Teresita was his great-aunt. (less)

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Jan 24, 2013 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

First book I've read on the kindle - strange to dive in without seeing the cover photo, knowing how long it is, or reading about the author, so didn't even realize that it's a sequel! Loved the writing so much I didn't care - it's the story of Teresita, the teenage 'Saint of Cabora', said to have healing powers and be the spiritual leader of Mexican revolutionaries, displaced to the US at the turn of the century, coming of age. Takes some odd turns, which wouldn't seem real if I hadn't found out...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's great when you have waited for a book to come out for a long time and when it does you love it. Queen of America is the sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter. Teresita Urrea, the Saint of Cabora, is a real figure and a distant relative of Luis Urrea's. He portrays her as both an ordinary, rather sassy, strong-willed character who has been given healing powers as well as a mystic. Great combination. The writing is very lyrical and much of the story takes place in Arizona just before the turn...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like sweet nothings whispered by my lover to leave my marriage bed, to dalliance with her, I listened, spending the day enamored with Teresita, ‘Saint of Cabora’, until my wife accused me of an affair with the book and then I could not leave it alone until it was done and dusted.

Intended as a sequel to his other work, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, this novel stands alone in its own glory. Here, Urrea takes us on a journey with young Teresita, accompanied by her willful father, Tomas, as they leave...more Like sweet nothings whispered by my lover to leave my marriage bed, to dalliance with her, I listened, spending the day enamored with Teresita, ‘Saint of Cabora’, until my wife accused me of an affair with the book and then I could not leave it alone until it was done and dusted.

Intended as a sequel to his other work, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, this novel stands alone in its own glory. Here, Urrea takes us on a journey with young Teresita, accompanied by her willful father, Tomas, as they leave their family ranch in Mexico where she is adored by many as a saint and pursued by others who saw her as the leader of rebellion, of change. Her father’s politics and her laying on of hands to heal caused mixed reactions in all they touched.

Along with their entourage, publishing mogul and rebel-rouser Don Lauro Aguirre and Segundo the trusted friend, the family moves to protect the Saint and to allow her to find the weary pilgrims, the sick and dying and instill hope whether it be in Yaquis, native to the area, or the son of rich businessmen travelling from afar, Teresita uses her powers, embodied in her after a near death experience as a child, as well as her healer’s knowledge of plants and roots, to heal all and sundry.

In an historical journey through Tucson, El Paso, San Francisco and back East to New York City we learn with great detail how this great land was tethered by rail and how commerce and religion where joined through newspapers to spread the word. We learn how a revered healer can be seen as a witch under other religious customs and we follow their plight through all its trials and tribulations. Not since John Galworthy wrote about the Forsyths has a saga of a family been so documented.

From his humble beginnings to now revered storyteller, this masterpiece elevates Urrea to a class above his peers, a first class, nay master class writer, who lays the narrative with poetic license at our feet, painting postcards with paragraphs. If Teresita is the Queen then surely, today, Urrea is King.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

We hear so much about the Mexican immigrants, but know so little about the culture of our southern neighbors. I enjoyed this book. Teresita is a healer and wants no more than to serve her God with her healings. However, she seems to be taken advantage of by the men in her life. First her father, then her "uncle" and finally her lover and the father of her children.

I found it interesting that the author's last name is Urrea and Teresita's last name is also Urrea. The author states that he has spe...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the sequel to "The Hummingbird's Daughter," the story of a girl in rural Mexico in the late 19th century who comes from healers and grows up to be regarded as a saint by some and a fomenter of revolution by the Mexican government.

"Queen of American" finds Santa Teresa, the saint of Cabora, leaving Mexico for the US as the Federales pursue her for her so-called treasonous actions. From Arizona, to California and finally New York, we follow Teresa as her "sainthood" becomes a commodity, as...more

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May 06, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read

I *had* to read this; The Hummingbird's Daughter was one of the best books I've read and I couldn't miss the sequel. Like most sequels, it wasn't as magical as the original. And that's not really anyone's fault - this book is fiction but it's based on the real life of Teresa de Cabora, so it had to follow the path that she did. Teresita's life in America just wasn't as exciting as her life in Mexico. I'm not sure whether it's the change in countries or the social changes taking place at the time...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, hispanic-latino

Sequel to the Hummingbird's Daughter finds young Santa Teresita Urrea beaten and exiled to America for supposedly starting revolutions in Mexico. She must adapt to the confines of American cities and culture and is taken in by shysters and lovers in her journey across the U.S. with the "Consortium." Includes time spent at the World's Fair St. Louis. Sad and full of American dirt and history, the writing isn't as glorious as in Hummingbird, but echoes the turn-of-the-century growing pains of Amer...more

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May 27, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

I did not actually finish this book because it was due back at the library, but that also relates to my only complaint about it: it's too long. But what would I cut? Certainly nothing about the Queen of America herself, Teresita the Saint of Cabora, who is as troubled and vibrant a character as good literature can give us. And you don't want to miss any part of her journey across the border into Mexico to escape the dictator who wants her dead and the hordes of pilgrims who want her miracle heal...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historical, native-american, prize-winners

Loved the Hummingbird's Daughter. The audio version by the author was wonderful. I'm reading this. Maybe should listen to it?
These books are a labor of love by Luis Urrea and I loved reading them.And not just for the story of Teresita, saint and healer. Urrea writes beautifully and we get taken back to life at the turn of the century all across America. Teresita lives in El Paso, San Francisco (she has a vision about the coming earthquake),Arizona, and NYC.She visits the WOrld's Fair and San Di...more

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May 12, 2012 Deborah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Queen of America is at turns hilarious and heartbreaking. This is an excellent example of the wonderfully imaginative writing that comes from Latin American writers. Urrea uses magical realism and storytelling to full advantage to examine the blessing and curse of sainthood. He also shows how easily persons with special gifts and talents can be exploited by those around them, and subtly examines the "immigrant problem" from a different vantage point. I'm now reading "The Hummingbird's Daughter"...more

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Mar 03, 2013 John Jaramillo rated it 5 of 5 stars

I first read the short fiction of Luis Alberto Urrea in graduate school. The discovery of a prolific Latino author whose work moves so adeptly from English to Spanish was important to my development as a writer. I enjoyed his collection of short stories Six Kinds of Sky and the keen worlds and characters drawn, his humor and surrealist edge. At the time I was struggling to capture Spanish speaking folks and the stories from the old neighborhood of my youth, struggling to make my work less obviou...more I first read the short fiction of Luis Alberto Urrea in graduate school. The discovery of a prolific Latino author whose work moves so adeptly from English to Spanish was important to my development as a writer. I enjoyed his collection of short stories Six Kinds of Sky and the keen worlds and characters drawn, his humor and surrealist edge. At the time I was struggling to capture Spanish speaking folks and the stories from the old neighborhood of my youth, struggling to make my work less obvious and overtly political. And the influence of his work stays fresh in my mind.
In reading Urrea’s most recent novels, The Hummingbird’s Daughter and its sequel Queen of America, I am pleased to find these lengthier works equally representing for me what writing should aspire to be.
Over the course of two novels, set in the 1880’s to the turn of the century, the incredibly dynamic character of Teresita the Saint of Cabora, the Mexican Joan of Arc, rises from abject poverty and abandonment to her place as spiritual leader. Described as a “saint with grit” by Stacey D’Erasmo of the New York Times Book Review, Teresita survives rape, returns from the dead and learns to practice ancient magic, and travels to the United States after the Mexican-Tomochic rebellion. In the sequel Teresita survives as a celebrity of sorts travelling and experiencing the United States—St. Louis, San Francisco and New York City—and she marries and divorces. She also survives a medical industry out to exploit her healing powers. All based on historical events and Urrea’s research.
The most influential aspect of the two books for me though is the form, the lyrical and dream-like passages. The masterful use of third person limited omniscient narration. How the dreamscape that is Urrea’s writing style creates so many varied characters and experiences in an incredibly wide and brilliant spectrum. From field hand, Indian healer, to Teresita’s Mexican landowner father, Don Tomás, to the bandits, cowboys and tycoons, the cast of characters represents the complicated nature of hierarchical class structures at play in pre-turn-of-the-century and pre-revolutionary Mexico. Masterfully, Urrea immerses us in Teresita’s myth across a multitude of voices. I admire the novels’ contrast of authorial voice and character in nearly every chapter, creating this Mexican and American border world from inside and out, and more importantly, in terms of social class, from quite literally the bottom up. (Urrea’s lively and playful performance in the downloadable audiobook versions only enhanced my experience of these distinct voices.)
Ultimately, I have to admit to taking advantage of Urrea’s skill—stealing stratagems of technique once again into my own struggling work. I’m thinking of the author and critic Jim Harrison’s words: “One finds and understands his own voice finally through the voice of others.”
I tell my Midwest community college students that the key to nonfiction is in the facts and that creative nonfiction—as well as fiction—is in the telling. And the power from Urrea’s work perhaps is that he devoted twenty-years of research and study of Mexican political, cultural and religious history as well as struggled with the form. And in many other historical novels or footnoted historical books, the political thought becomes so blatant and relentless that readers stop hearing it. Yet in Urrea’s two novel saga, the insight into Mexican, American Indian and American history, I believe, along with the shifting voices create an inextricable link between human experience, political conflict and historical socioeconomic conflict. Another lesson for writer in the merging of form and content to craft a meaning greater than the sum of its parts.
(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Josh Trapani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

4 1/2 stars. The sequel to one of my favorite books last year, The Hummingbird's Daughter. To say it's not as strong in some ways is no discredit to Urrea, both because of the excellence of The Hummingbird's Daughter and because he is trying to stay true to history. The language here remains superb; how many times did scenes describing food make me hungry? The characters are well-drawn. The amount of research that went into this book must have been immense. I viscerally disliked that some of the...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Bdalton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio book (read by the author Luis Alberto Urrea) and enjoyed his fictionalized account of his great aunt's travels through America at the turn of the century. I had not read The Hummingbird's Daughter, the predecessor book, but was able to enjoy this story without having done so. I think that I will read it now, because there were so many references to prior events. It would have helped to have read it even if it isn't entirely necessary.

I love Arizona and much of this book i...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Stephen rated it 2 of 5 stars

"She could not remember when she had last put her feet in free running water. She had not pulled a fruit off a tree or ridden a horse or prayed in a sacred spot. Were there sacred spots in New York? Wouldn't people just laugh at her if they found her talking to trees. Collecting seeds from plants with her old apron?"

Where was her apron? Huila's apron. Where was it?"

In the street, where a lazy, ne'er-do-well, drink-soppin', money-burning gringo dandy cowboy left it, that's where.

This clash betwe...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Jared Gillins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are a lot of things I look for when I select fiction to read. Character, theme, message. Adventure or introspection. Mystery or revelation. It can vary. My expectations vary with whether I choose a Nero Wolfe mystery or a Steinbeck epic. One constant does carry throughout my literary choices: a novel's ability to transport me. And Luis Urrea's latest offering transported me indeed.

If you are not familiar with Urrea's works, I urge you to seek out a library or bookstore and remedy this. His...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hachette, little-brown

Teresita Urrea is not a queen. She's a saint. Although her sainthood is debatable. With the ability to heal with her hands, she draws a lot of attention, from the desperately ill, manic religious fanatics, revolutionaries, and assassins. So life isn't always easy. She and her father are driven from Mexico because of the danger to her life, and they travel around the United States because to avoid problems.

Yet Teresita is still a young woman just like any other, with hopes and dreams of love and...more

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About Luis Alberto Urrea

Luis Alberto Urrea is the award-winning author of 13 books, including The Hummingbird's Daughter, The Devil's Highway and Into the Beautiful North (May 2009). Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Luis has used the theme of borders, immigration and search for love and belonging throughout his work. A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 (nonfiction), he's won the Kiriyama Prize (2006...more

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Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border

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