Bendiceme Ultima = Bless Me, Ultima

Simply a heartfelt masterpiece. Ranks with Dostoyevsky. No joke.

I enjoyed this book, and yet struggled with it. On the one hand, it is an amazingly detailed view into a world where Catholicism and old traditions mix, a sort of Southwestern magic realism. The way the author juxtaposes the two traditions without degrading either is a tremendous feat, and goes great lengths in helping white people like me understand a little bit more about our neighbors. On...more

I enjoyed this book, and yet struggled with it. On the one hand, it is an amazingly detailed view into a world where Catholicism and old traditions mix, a sort of Southwestern magic realism. The way the author juxtaposes the two traditions without degrading either is a tremendous feat, and goes great lengths in helping white people like me understand a little bit more about our neighbors. On the other hand, it is a gratuitous celebration of machismo as the 7-year old main character revels in finally being able to dominate his mother when she obeys him because he speaks to her with the authority of a man. It uncritically reinforces this machismo without ever entertaining the notion that maybe this is not something positive.   hide