El Milagro and Other Stories (Camino del Sol) - Tapa dura

"A sentimental and humorous remembrance of a genteel way of life that no longer exists in the Tucson Mexican community . . . Barrio Anita comes alive again through her interpretation of the words, thoughts, and behavior of its former inhabitants." --Journal of Arizona History"A slender volume of lyrical vignettes and loving character studies . . . the stories are enlivened by colorful imagery and, in those spoken by their focal characters, racy individuality." --Kirkus Reviews"Her blend of Spanish words, details and metaphors offers an affectionate depiction of life in a changing neighborhood." --Publishers Weekly"This enchanting book will be enjoyed by young adults as well as adults." --Library Journal"Were it not for Martin, the only history of Tucson that would see the light of day might be one primarily about people who were wealthy, from 'back East' and Anglo. In El Milagro . . . Martin continues to shine a light into the dark little corners of Tucson's history, the stories about Hispanic Tucsonans who grew up perhaps momentarily poor but nurtured by a rich, empowering and supportive culture." --Tucson Citizen

Ticking clocks and tolling bells, scents of roses and warm tortillas: this is the barrio of years past as captured in the words of Patricia Preciado Martin. Cuentos, recuerdos, stories, memories - all are stirred into a simmering caldo by a writer whose love for her heritage shines through every page. Reminiscent of Like Water for Chocolate, the book is a rich mix of the simplest ingredients - food, family, tradition. We see Silviana striding to her chicken coop, triggering the "feathered pandemonium" of chickens who smell death in the air. We meet Elena, standing before the mirror in her wedding dress, and Teodoro Sanchez, who sleeps under the sky and smells of "chaparral and mesquite pollen and the stream bottom and the bone dust of generations."