BPLG/REFORMA Review

Author:   Anaya, Rudolfo
Title:   Bless me, Ultima
Publisher:  Warner Books     Publication Date:  1995
Pages:   262
Paper price: $6.50    ISBN:  0446600253
Type: Fiction      Grade level(s): young adult through adult
Translation notes:  not a translation

Reviewer:  Alvaro Sanabria -- Program Manager of the San Francisco Main Library International Center
Comments:
Bless me Ultima is a classic novel of Chicano literature that has continued to gain world wide recognition since its publication in 1972 by Quinto Sol, a small press in Berkeley, California.  It relates the story of Antonio Márez coming to age in the town of Las Pasturas, New Mexico, in a traditional Mexican American family, in in the company of Ultima, la curandera.  Anaya himself has defined the character Ultima as “a healer in the tradition of our native New Mexican healers. She is a repository of Spanish and New Mexican teachings.”  Antonio grows up learning from Ultima’s experiences and teachings as he draws closer to her. At the same time he’s confronted with his mother’s Catholic beliefs, the words of wisdom of his father, and the difficulties of adjusting to school in a new, English-speaking culture.

The book contains a great deal of symbolism that appears throughout the novel such as the moon, the river, the sea, and the owl,  and there is also the mythical element of the Golden Carp that may take the reader even to another level of interpretation.
This wonderful story can be read at different levels since in contains powerful elements of cultural, religious, mythical and ethical reflection. In addition, it deals with the feeling of being attached to the land and traditions or the option of leaving to unexpected places.
This is a book is highly recommended to all audiences and in particular to young adults.