Shop Indie Bookstores
Into the Beautiful North, Luis Alberto Urrea, Little Brown and Company, 2009, 338 pp
Summary from Goodreads: Nineteen-year-old Nayeli
works at a taco shop in her Mexican village and dreams about her
father, who journeyed to the United States to find work. Recently, it
has dawned on her that he isn't the only man who has left town. In fact,
there are almost no men in the village--they've all gone north. While
watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli decides to go north
herself and recruit seven men--her own "Siete MagnÃficos"--to repopulate
her hometown and protect it from the bandidos who plan on taking it
over.
Filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, Into the Beautiful North is the story of an irresistible young woman's quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.
Filled with unforgettable characters and prose as radiant as the Sinaloan sun, Into the Beautiful North is the story of an irresistible young woman's quest to find herself on both sides of the fence.
My Review:
I loved this book! It was fun to read with wonderful characters but was also a light satire about heavy and complex issues: Mexico in the 21st century, the failings of its government, the ridiculous tourist trap that is Tijuana, the dangers of crossing the border into the USA, and the different fates of Mexican immigrants both legal and illegal. If that was not enough, it contains a quest, a road trip, and a coming of age story.
As ambitious as all that sounds, Urrea pulled it off seemingly without effort. Nayeli is one of those heroines who captures both your heart and mind, so determined, so ethical, heedless of danger and compassionate.
If you have never been to Mexico (that would include me), or if you live in America but were born there, or if you are some combination of both, I think you would find much to enjoy as well as ponder in the novel.
As far as "building a wall" goes, well good luck with that!
What a lovely review. This sounds like a book that covers a lot territory - no pun intended - and is very relevant to our times.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dorothy. I wrote the review quickly, because my pile of books read, not yet written about, is high and I am determined to get them all written about by the end of the year. I was not sure I had done justice to this one. I feel better now!
DeleteQuick small and brilliant review , as always. Sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Judy :)
Quick and small is my theme this month. I will try to be as brilliant as I can:)
DeleteI'm not keen on building walls! This heroine sounds interesting; I'm game for this one. I read one novel about Mexicans coming North called The Jaguar's Children which scared the heck out of me as they get stuck in a sealed water truck. Yikes. But this one sounds not as dark as that, thankfully
ReplyDeleteNo it is not that dark. And you know, for all the people who get over that border, it can't be that they all go through horrors. I mean, they have some tough moments but not horrors.
DeleteWell, some coming from Central America hop on top of an international train called "La Bestia" (The Beast) that has maimed countless illegal immigrants hoping for a better future in the North. So, some definitely experience horrors.
ReplyDeleteI love your review, Judy! I would like to read this novel.
Oh I believe you Carmen. The novel is a smooth read.
Delete