When I became inspired several years ago to write, and yes, it is taking a while to see the process in motion, I reverently read the following books. They highlight moving stories or memoirs of a people’s experience. Oh, yes, I may have added some* that I just couldn’t resist to share which may fall in another genre.
Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande. Washington Square Press, 2006.*
I included this novel from Reyna, whom I just met at a workshop at Gemini Ink. Reyna writes about the immigrant experience.
Check out her wonderful and educational site: www.reynagrande.com
Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child by Elva Treviño Hart. Arizona: Bilingual Press, 1999.*
Songs My Mother Sang to Me by Patricia Preciado Martin. University of Arizona Press, 1998.
Benigna’s Chimayo: Cuentos from the Old Plaza by Don J. Usner. Museum of New Mexico Press, 2001.
Abuelitos: Stories of the Río Puerco Valley. Collected and Edited by Nasario García. University of New Mexico Press, 1992.
Seasons of My Heart: a Culinary Journal Through Oaxaca, Mexico by Susana Trilling. Ballantine, 1999.*
I couldn’t resist adding the last one since it recalls my short mission trips to Oaxaca, where some of my most inspiring adventures took place. It was also a gift from my daughter. What can I say?
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