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A review by thehouseplantlibrarian
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
4.0
Luz or "little light" as her loved ones call her, is blessed with the prophetic abilities of her ancestors, capable of seeing glimpses of the past and future. When her brother Diego is driven from town after a vicious beating by a white mob for pursuing a white woman, Lux suddenly finds herself navigating 1930s Denver without him, wondering what the future holds for her in work and life and love. Intermixed with poignant anecdotes from her ancestors that are revealed to her through her gift, Luz's own journey is one full of frustration and mistakes as well as healing and the deep, formidable love of family.
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What I loved about this book is that it highlights how rapidly the world and landscape of America changed for Indigenous Chicanos over the span of fifty years, after half of Mexico was ceded to the US. Hometowns filled with memory become ghost towns. Open land where they built their lives and livelihood are overtaken in the name of capitalist ventures. Racism drives the breaking of homes and families. I think in general we ignorantly associate the most severe racism with the American South, but the violent acts by the KKK described in this tale and prejudice experienced by the characters remind us that no part of America is immune. Being new to Denver, I enjoyed that the book was set here. It had me googling historic maps to identify the neighborhoods and see myself walking the same streets. It also served as a reminder of how this city, and most cities, were built, through the hard work of ethnic minorities (though I really think we should question the "minority" aspect of it) and immigrants.
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I loved the realization Luz has that she is an American. She was born in America and has as much right to call herself that, though others may not see it that way.
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I loved the contrast between Diego and Luz. The way a man is able to love freely and without consequences as he wanders the land, while a woman must think more critically about the consequences, whether she is ready to be pigeonholed as a wife and mother, whether she could risk pregnancy outside of marriage despite the passion she is tempted with.
.
I wish the characters and history was explored more. There were parts that were not explicitly explained and thus confusing (Lizette is Luz's cousin but the true relationship is not explained; Maria Josie and Sara are described as "mixed breed" but I wasn't entirely clear on their heritage, possibly Native American and Mexican?). I wish we had been given more insight into Luz's inner thoughts and feelings that drive her decisions. I feel like things are just happening to her, even though at the end she explains it was her choice. We don't entirely have closure or a clear conclusion or a lesson learned when the tale ends, though I was able to interpret my own.
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I read this book in two days, almost unable to put it down, and am happy I read it as a way to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
.
What I loved about this book is that it highlights how rapidly the world and landscape of America changed for Indigenous Chicanos over the span of fifty years, after half of Mexico was ceded to the US. Hometowns filled with memory become ghost towns. Open land where they built their lives and livelihood are overtaken in the name of capitalist ventures. Racism drives the breaking of homes and families. I think in general we ignorantly associate the most severe racism with the American South, but the violent acts by the KKK described in this tale and prejudice experienced by the characters remind us that no part of America is immune. Being new to Denver, I enjoyed that the book was set here. It had me googling historic maps to identify the neighborhoods and see myself walking the same streets. It also served as a reminder of how this city, and most cities, were built, through the hard work of ethnic minorities (though I really think we should question the "minority" aspect of it) and immigrants.
.
I loved the realization Luz has that she is an American. She was born in America and has as much right to call herself that, though others may not see it that way.
.
I loved the contrast between Diego and Luz. The way a man is able to love freely and without consequences as he wanders the land, while a woman must think more critically about the consequences, whether she is ready to be pigeonholed as a wife and mother, whether she could risk pregnancy outside of marriage despite the passion she is tempted with.
.
I wish the characters and history was explored more. There were parts that were not explicitly explained and thus confusing (Lizette is Luz's cousin but the true relationship is not explained; Maria Josie and Sara are described as "mixed breed" but I wasn't entirely clear on their heritage, possibly Native American and Mexican?). I wish we had been given more insight into Luz's inner thoughts and feelings that drive her decisions. I feel like things are just happening to her, even though at the end she explains it was her choice. We don't entirely have closure or a clear conclusion or a lesson learned when the tale ends, though I was able to interpret my own.
.
I read this book in two days, almost unable to put it down, and am happy I read it as a way to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.