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The PCCPathways Program, Cross-Cultural Center, and Campus Diversity Initiative are proud to announce our 9th Annual One Book, One College selection, Little Nation & Other Stories by Alejandro Morales.
Alejandro Morales is a professor of Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine. He is also a fiction writer and has published seven novels and three novellas.
Little Nation & Other Stories by Alejandro Morales
“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, and 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 that examine identity and injustice. Originally written
in Spanish, this compelling collection contains Adam Spires’ 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.
Copies are available for review in Shatford Library. Little Nation and Other Stories is an Open Educational Resource.