Books published by publisher Arte Publico Press

Best Books of 2011 by The Hispanic ReaderBronze Award for Essays in ForeWord Review's Book of the Year AwardsSecond Place for Best Biography in English in the International Latino Book Awards"On good days I feel I am a bridge. On bad days I just feel alone," Sergio Troncoso writes in this riveting collection of sixteen personal essays in which he seeks to connect the humanity of his Mexican family to those he meets on the East Coast, including his wife's Jewish kin. Raised in a home steps from the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, Troncoso crossed what seemed an even more imposing border when he left home to attend Harvard College.Initially, "outsider status" was thrust upon him; later, he adopted it willingly, writing about the Southwest and Chicanos in an effort to communicate who he was and where he came from to those unfamiliar with his childhood world. He wrote to maintain his ties to his parents and his abuelita, and to fight against the elitism he experienced in the Ivy League. "I was torn," he writes, "between the people I loved at home and the ideas I devoured away fromhome."Troncoso writes to examine his life and to create meaning from the disparate worlds he inhabits and the borders he crosses. In his three-part essay entitled "Letter to My Young Sons," he documents the terror of his wife's breast cancer diagnosis and the ups and downs of her surgery and treatment. Other essays explore evolving gender roles and interfaith marriage as Troncoso becomes a father, he struggles with an uneasy relationship with his elderly father, and he understands the impact his wife's Jewish heritage and religion have on his Mexican-American identity.Crossing Borders: Personal Essays reveals a writer, father and husband who has crossed linguistic, cultural and intellectual borders to provoke debate about contemporary Mexican-American identity. Challenging assumptions about literature, the role of writers in America, fatherhood and family, these essays bridge the chasm between the poverty of the border region and the highest echelons of success in America. Troncoso writes with the deepest faith in humanity about sacrifice, commitment and honesty.Praise for CROSSING BORDERS:"Troncoso is a complicated man trying to understand a complicated world. In his quest for understanding, he eloquently shares lessons learned in 16 provocative essays. These very personal essays cross several borders: cultural, historical and self-imposed. We owe it to ourselves to read, savor and read them again." ---El Paso Times

Julian Nava is one of the most renowned and distinguished elder statesmen in the Hispanic community of the United States. The child of poor Mexican immigrants, Nava rose through years of hardship and hard work to achieve what no other Latino in the United States had achieved before him: Nava became the first Mexican American to serve as ambassador to Mexico.This unforeseen but deserved appointment by President Jimmy Carter followed a life of commitment to his education and that of his community. Nava was a civil rights activist during the height of the Chicano Movement; he also became the first Mexican American to serve on the Los Angeles school board when it was embattled, facing the challenges of school walkouts and boycotts, desegregation, bilingual education, and a series of issues brought on by the changes in education during the 1970s.The recipient of a Ph.D. in History from Harvard, Nava has been on the front-lines of urban education and politics, while simultaneously building a successful career as a university professor celebrated throughout the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia and Spain. Nava's previously untold story is finally available to inspire people young and old toward study, commitment and perseverance, not only for one's self, but for the community and nation.

“If they do come here, they’ll show us no mercy,” thirteen-year-old Evangelina overhears her father say as she gathers eggs in the chicken pen. Back at the house, Mamá brushes away her fears of revolutionaries. There are even more chores than usual to be done at Rancho Encantado because her sister’s quinceañera celebration is rapidly approaching!It’s the summer of 1911 in northern Mexico, and soon the de León family learns that the rumors of soldiers in the region are true. Evangelina’s father decides they must leave their home to avoid the violence. The trip north to a small town on the U.S. side of the border is filled with fear and anxiety as they worry about loved ones left behind and the uncertain future ahead.Life in Texas is confusing, though the signs in shop windows that say “No Mexicans” and some people’s reactions to them are all-too clear. At school, she encounters the same puzzling resentment. Why can’t people understand that—even though she’s only starting to learn English—she’s just like them?With the help and encouragement of the town’s doctor and the attentions of a handsome boy, Evangelina begins to imagine a new future for herself. This moving historical novel introduces teens to the tumultuous times of the Mexican Revolution and the experiences of immigrants, especially Mexican Americans, as they adjust to a new way of life.

Young René’s teacher is calling role one morning, and René is dismayed to hear someone else answer to his name. It’s not only that he thought he was the only person with that name, but also that the new student who answers is a girl. That afternoon his classmates tease, "René has a girl’s name." After discussing it with Mamá and Papá, René decides, "My name is so beautiful that a girl copied it from me," not the other way around. But the next day the new girl sits next to him is behind him every time they line up shares her apple with him and at recess tells him she wants to be his best friend. . . everywhere he turns, there’s René the girl. One day at the library, René discovers a book called The Meaning of Names. With the book tucked under his arm, René endeavors to win the first writing contest of the school year. Complimented by playful illustrations, this bilingual picture book follows Colato Laínez’s own experiences, when he was faced with a challenge to his own name as a child. This witty story about a young boy’s odyssey to find out the meaning of his name will challenge readers aged 3 to 7 to chart cross-cultural differences by gaining an understanding about themselves and the people around them.

Eduardo Lin loves New York. Where else could an aspiring (if under-employed) Honduran actor possibly want to be? In THE BIG BANANA, we follow the struggles of Eduardo, his gringo boss Charlie, his true love Mirian, and his many Latin American friends to survive in the Big Apple. Beneath their hardscrabble everyday lives, we also perceive their hopes, their nightmares, and their outlandish, Hollywood-inspired fantasies. And some days, when times are bad, it seems those flimsy Hollywood fantasies are all that keep Eduardo going. Yet even if the New York winter "reaches deep beyond his bones," and the snow-covered city stands "like a bride awaiting her fiancee," he is still determined to win her heart."Robert Quesada is a lively and gifted writer full of amusing and thought-provoking ideas" (Kurt Vonnegut).

The first definitive biography of a pioneering civil rights leader and activist In 1948, Three Rivers Funeral Home refused burial of the remains of Felix Longoria, a World War II veteran. For Dr. Hector P. García this incident was an example of the bigotry and injustice that many Mexican Americans suffered in South Texas and throughout the U.S. He and his fledging organization, the American G.I. Forum, stepped into the national consciousness to fight for Longoria and his family and to inspire Mexican-American participation in party politics and against segregation in the post-World War II years. García was an immigrant from Tamaulipas, Mexico, whose family journeyed north in the fashion of many other immigrant famillies seeking economic opportunities and safety from the numerous revolutionay conflicts. In spite of discrimination and poverty common in the Rio Grande Valley, García became a physician in 1940 and, like many young Mexican Americans, served his adopted country with distinction in fighting fascism and injustice abroad. After receiving the Bronze Star and six battle stars, he returned to Texas only to find that much of the discrimination and segregation against Mexican Americans was still rampant, despite their having proved themselves in the bloody battlefields overseas. An outraged García went on to rally Mexican-American veterans into one of the most effective civil rights organizations in history and to create a space for them within the political process. His pionnering efforts not only resulted in changed laws and practices, but also in a new awareness among Mexican Americans that they could fight for their rights and win. He also proved to be a decisive factor in the election of America's first Catholic president, John. F. Kennedy. His activism inspired a new generation of social reformers in the barrio, and a reluctant acceptance by the larger society that Mexican Americans were first class citizens. For his work, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom in 1984.

“Today is Butterfly Day!” Julianita excitedly tells her grandfather as they make their way down Carmen Street to school one morning. Today is the day Julianita and her friends have been waiting for—they’re going to learn about monarch butterflies. But what’s even more thrilling is they’re each going to receive their very own caterpillar to raise! When Julianita gets hers, she names him Tiger because of his striking yellow and black stripes.Ms. Rodríguez teaches her students all about the monarch. But Julianita already knows that they fly south thousands of miles every winter because her grandfather remembers seeing the beautiful monarchs in his village in the highlands of Mexico. As the children feed and care for their caterpillars, they anxiously anticipate the transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.When Tiger finally emerges from his chrysalis, Julianita doesn’t want to let him go. She worries that he will get lost on his way to Mexico. “Tiger knows the way to Mexico because it’s in his heart,” her Abuelito reassures her. She feels sad to see Tiger fly away, but Julianita knows that someday, she will follow him to her grandfather’s magical Mexico.Paired with April Ward’s charming illustrations that depict Julianita’s neighborhood—her home on Carmen Street, the bench where Abuelito rests in Palo Verde Park, her parents’ store that sells everything in the whole wide world—this book by award-winning author Monica Brown is sure to entertain and educate kids ages 3-9. This is a perfect choice for children learning about insects and the forces of nature.

Cousins are friends and rivals. Cousins are funny and frustrating. But the most important thing is that cousins are family. We are Cousins / Somos primos celebrates the joy of this special family bond. The children explain that they are cousins because their mothers are sisters, and from the moment they get together, the fun begins. They march in a make-believe parade, gobble up a pizza, and share a cozy story on Abuelo's lap. But they also blame each other if something goes wrong, don't want to share their toys, and wiggle against each other to nab a spot on Abuela's lap. Written in simple language for children ages 2-5, the brief English and Spanish text will become a valuable tool to encourage children to think and talk about their own families. It will also become a favorite book for children and grandchildren to share with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and of course, cousins. Vivid illustrations by Christina Rodriguez in bright, primary colors complement this story that will be as much fun to read at story hour as it will be to read on the family sofa.

Young Rita gets all kinds of advice about salsa music from her family: how to play and sing it, how to dance to it, even how to dress for it! Learning about dance steps and musical instruments such as the güiro, timbales, and congas, Rita becomes so filled with enthusiasm that she dreams of someday becoming a salsa band director. While introducing young readers to the delights of this rich music, Colón-Vilá explores the combination of African, Caribbean, and American cultures that created it. With vibrant illustrations that capture the very essence, spirit, and rhythm of salsa, this captivating picture will have both children and adults tapping their feet as they read this lively tale.