Little Nation and Other Stories

by Alejandro Morales, Adam Spires

Overview

“I’m sick of you punks,” Micaela said. “And I’m warning you now. I’m going to get you for that murder!” In the title story, the Latino community in East L.A. suffers horrible gang-related violence. Children are killed in the crossfire and young people use and sell drugs. But the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl is the last straw for Micaela Clemencia, a local teacher. With the help of other women in the neighborhood, Micaela keeps her promise to punish the murderer. And much to the dismay of the police and other city officials, the women take control of the barrio, their “little nation.”

While some characters face a violent world driven by greed, others long for a sense of belonging or a place to call their own. In “Mama Concha,” a grandmother shares her ancient wisdom with her grandson, teaching him to appreciate the land and the fruits and vegetables she grows. In “The Gardens of Versailles,” a home with beautiful gardens is a local favorite, until it stands in the way of “progress” that will benefit the entire community. And in “Prickles,” an artist who is a grotesque oddity because of the thorny tumors that sprout all over his body develops a special, unusual relationship with the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Alejandro Morales returns to his native Southern California community of Montebello in four of these five stories. Originally written in Spanish, this volume includes the first-ever English translation of these thought-provoking stories, in which Morales explores the Chicano community’s marginalization and search for a space to call its own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611928716
Publisher:	Arte Publico Press
Publication date:	10/30/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	209 KB

About the Author

ALEJANDRO MORALES is the author of several novels published in the United States and Mexico, including Little Nation and Other Stories (Arte Público Press, 2014),River of Angels (Arte Público Press, 2014), Hombres de ladrillo (Arte Público Press, 2010), The Brick People (Arte Público Press, 1992),The Rag Doll Plagues (Arte Público Press, 1992) and River of Angels (Arte Público Press, 2014). The Captain of All These Men of Death (2006) was published by Bilingual Review Press. Morales was born in Montebello, California. He received an AA degree from East Los Angeles College, a BA degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and an MA and doctoral degree in Spanish from Rutgers University. He is now a professor in the Chicano/Latino Studies Program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Irvine. He lives in Santa Ana, California, with his family.

Learn more by visiting his faculty page.

ADAM SPIRES is a professor at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada.

Learn more by visiting his faculty page.