5/18/2008

Mazatlán or Teatlán?

Paul and I recently read the book Kissing the Virgin's Mouth by Donna Gershten. The book is a novel about Mazatlán...which you will recognize easily, even though the author calls the city Teatlán.

The main character, Magda, grows up in a poor family in one of the barrios of Mazatlán. Her father sells tejuino (a corn drink) from a cart. Magda is determined to get a better life for herself - but of course there were many bumps along the way. She spends more than a decade in the US.

The book won the Bellwether Prize (for socially or politically engaged fiction) and gives great insight into Mexico's poor but also into the conflicts Mexicans must feel when they live in the US.
A really good book. We borrowed it from the Mazatlán English Library on Michael's recommendation, but it is available from Amazon.

4 comments:

Brenda Maas said...

I love the new look of the blog, very nice.

Steve Cotton said...

Brenda beat me to my oooh! Great new scheme. I have been thinking about changing mine. The only reason I haven't done it is purely sentimental: Andee liked the current version. But I know what she would say: you have to do what you have to do.

Beth said...

Another book to add to my reading list and ever-growing library!!

1st Mate said...

I've started a collection of books on Mexico, and this one looks like it belongs in it.

The new photo is wonderful, it looks just like the day we all went out to breakfast, only better with dogs!