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Showing posts from September, 2012

MYSTICISM: WHY I BELIEVE by Terri Molina

   The Latina Book Club welcomes author Terri Molina, who is guest blogging with us today about myths and superstitions, and why she adds them to her writing whenever she can. Welcome, Terri! Several years ago I was visiting my sister, Becky, in Illinois. At the time my niece was taking classes to get confirmed in the Catholic Church. As a sponsor I went with my sister to one of the classes (it was so long ago, I don’t remember the class). As an exercise in introduction, the teacher asked everyone in the class--about ten-fifteen people, to write their name--first or last-- on the whiteboard then choose a letter in our name and in five seconds come up with a word to describe us. So, I wrote my name T-E-R-R-I and under the I, I wrote intuitive. It was the first thing to pop into my head and at the time, I wasn’t even sure what it meant much less if it was true. I mean, I’ve never been the type to rush into anything. I’m not an emotional thinker, I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve.

BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Reyna Grande

   When we think about illegal immigrants, we think about adults, we think about coyotes, we think about drowning, we think about women being sold into prostitution, we think about young men lost in the desert. We never think about the children, especially not the children left behind by desperate parents in search of a new life for their families.   Reyna Grande – award-winning author, speaker, teacher, mother, immigrant! -- was one of these children. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is her life's story. It's painful, it's harsh, it's scary, it's hopeful, it's life-affirming.   In THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, Reyna speaks frankly about her life in Mexico with her grandmother; about illegally entering the U.S. when she was only nine-years-old; about going to live with her abusive father; about losing hope; about finding solace in books and writing; about finding herself; about striking out on her own; about finding her own American dream.   Reyna has opened a vein, as the