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Bless Me, Ultima
Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima enters his life. She is a curandera, one who heals with herbs and magic. 'We cannot let her live her last days in loneliness,' says Antonio's mother. 'It is not the way of our people,' agrees his father. And so Ultima comes to live with Antonio's family in New Mexico. Soon Tony will journey to the threshold of manhood. Always, Ultima watches over him. She graces him with the courage to face childhood bigotry, diabolical possession, the moral collapse of his brother, and too many violent deaths. Under her wise guidance, Tony will probe the family ties that bind him, and he will find in himself the magical secrets of the pagan past—a mythic legacy equally as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America in which he has been schooled. At each turn in his life there is Ultima who will nurture the birth of his soul.
290 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
1,837 people are currently reading
23.6k people want to read
About the author
Rudolfo Anaya
94 books456 followersRudolfo Anaya lives and breathes the landscape of the Southwest. It is a powerful force, full of magic and myth, integral to his writings. Anaya, however, is a native Hispanic fascinated by cultural crossings unique to the Southwest, a combination of oldSpain and New Spain, of Mexico with Mesoamerica and the anglicizing forces of the twentieth century. Rudolfo Anaya is widely acclaimed as the founder of modern Chicano literature. According to the New York Times, he is the most widely read author in Hispanic communities, and sales of his classic Bless Me, Ultima (1972) have surpassed 360,000, despite the fact that none of his books have been published originally by New York publishing houses. His works are standard texts in Chicano studies and literature courses around the world, and he has done more than perhaps any other single person to promote publication of books by Hispanic authors in this country. With the publication of his novel, Albuquerque (1992),Newsweek has proclaimed him a front-runner in "what is better called not the new multicultural writing, but the new American writing." His most recent volume, published in 1995, is Zia Summer.
"I've always used the technique of the cuento. I am an oral storyteller, but now I do it on the printed page. I think if we were very wise we would use that same tradition in video cassettes, in movies, and on radio."
from
http://www.unm.edu/~wrtgsw/anaya.html
and
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_reso...
"I've always used the technique of the cuento. I am an oral storyteller, but now I do it on the printed page. I think if we were very wise we would use that same tradition in video cassettes, in movies, and on radio."
from
http://www.unm.edu/~wrtgsw/anaya.html
and
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_reso...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,146 reviews
April 29, 2013
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
This is a hard review to write. I read Bless Me, Ultima because it is frequently challenged, often banned, sometimes even burned. I read it because it has been banished from Tucson classrooms and school libraries. I read it because I live in a majority Mexican-American community in a part of Arizona that until relatively recently was still part of the state of Sonora, Mexico. And I read it because many readers have praised it.
Anaya wrote his novel in 1972. Copies were confiscated and burned at a New Mexico school less than a year later. Burning, it turned out, was not to be a one-time aberration: Bless Me, Ultima has fed the flames again and again: the most recent incident happened in Norwood, Colorado, in 2005.
My awareness of what is sometimes called Chicano pride literature began in January 2012, when Tucson Unified School District administrators cancelled Mexican-American Studies classes in mid-session, pulling novels and textbooks from students' and teachers' hands and packing them in boxes labeled "banned books," a story that resulted in international outrage and made Arizona a laughingstock. Bless Me, Ultima was one of TUSD's targets.
Why do non-hispanics hate this novel? The most-often cited reason is that it contains profanity, violence, and sexuality. It is true that the novel contains two instances of the word "fuck." More if you translate the word "chingada," which appears so many times that if you were to eliminate all the other words, you'd still have 20 pages of chingada. Also, the kids in the story call each other "cabrón" a lot. And there is violence. But if there's any sex I must have missed it.
Other challenges spell out what I consider to be more likely objections: the story is irreverent toward Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, full of pagan mysticism, and frankly pro-magic (in that Ultima is a practicing medicine woman who uses her arts to stymie and even kill witches). Which is all true, but neither here nor there in a society that respects the separation of church and state (don't we all wish).
Arizona State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne dared speak what I believe to be the real reasons behind white antipathy toward Bless Me, Ultima. In interviews leading up to the infamous TUSD book bannings he characterized Mexican-American studies and the books used in those classes as “civilizational war” and stated that in his view the histories of Mexican-Americans and Native Americans are not based on “Greco-Roman” knowledge and thus not part of Western civilization. Oh, yes, he really did say that.
So there you have the reasons Anaya's novel generates so much hate. Now I come to the hard part, explaining why I didn't get much out of reading it. I'll refer back to the 20 pages of "chingadas" and "cabróns," and a host of other Spanish and Indian words sprinkled throughout the narrative: yes, it's worth it to note that Mexican-Americans living near the US/Mexico border use many Spanish and Indian words in everyday speech, but after a while I began to feel somewhat put upon by all this multiculturalism.
Antonio keeps telling us Ultima is not a witch, but she has an owl as a familiar and she casts counter-spells against three known brujas (witches), killing two of them before she herself is killed ... not directly, but by the father of the witches, who kills the owl and thus Ultima. So she's a witch. C'mon.
Apart from Antonio and Ultima, the other characters are paper cutouts, acting and speaking in predictable ways. It was interesting to see Antonio begin to question the teachings of the church and to embrace the paganism of Ultima and the mysterious golden carp, but that was all the excitement the novel offered, and Antonio's doubts grew tiresome after much repetition.
It's an okay story. I question how relevant it is to today's readers, but as a cornerstone of Mexican-American literature it is undoubtedly important. I'm glad I read it, but having read it, I remain far more interested in the reasons white people hate it than I am in the novel itself.
This is a hard review to write. I read Bless Me, Ultima because it is frequently challenged, often banned, sometimes even burned. I read it because it has been banished from Tucson classrooms and school libraries. I read it because I live in a majority Mexican-American community in a part of Arizona that until relatively recently was still part of the state of Sonora, Mexico. And I read it because many readers have praised it.
Anaya wrote his novel in 1972. Copies were confiscated and burned at a New Mexico school less than a year later. Burning, it turned out, was not to be a one-time aberration: Bless Me, Ultima has fed the flames again and again: the most recent incident happened in Norwood, Colorado, in 2005.
My awareness of what is sometimes called Chicano pride literature began in January 2012, when Tucson Unified School District administrators cancelled Mexican-American Studies classes in mid-session, pulling novels and textbooks from students' and teachers' hands and packing them in boxes labeled "banned books," a story that resulted in international outrage and made Arizona a laughingstock. Bless Me, Ultima was one of TUSD's targets.
Why do non-hispanics hate this novel? The most-often cited reason is that it contains profanity, violence, and sexuality. It is true that the novel contains two instances of the word "fuck." More if you translate the word "chingada," which appears so many times that if you were to eliminate all the other words, you'd still have 20 pages of chingada. Also, the kids in the story call each other "cabrón" a lot. And there is violence. But if there's any sex I must have missed it.
Other challenges spell out what I consider to be more likely objections: the story is irreverent toward Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, full of pagan mysticism, and frankly pro-magic (in that Ultima is a practicing medicine woman who uses her arts to stymie and even kill witches). Which is all true, but neither here nor there in a society that respects the separation of church and state (don't we all wish).
Arizona State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne dared speak what I believe to be the real reasons behind white antipathy toward Bless Me, Ultima. In interviews leading up to the infamous TUSD book bannings he characterized Mexican-American studies and the books used in those classes as “civilizational war” and stated that in his view the histories of Mexican-Americans and Native Americans are not based on “Greco-Roman” knowledge and thus not part of Western civilization. Oh, yes, he really did say that.
So there you have the reasons Anaya's novel generates so much hate. Now I come to the hard part, explaining why I didn't get much out of reading it. I'll refer back to the 20 pages of "chingadas" and "cabróns," and a host of other Spanish and Indian words sprinkled throughout the narrative: yes, it's worth it to note that Mexican-Americans living near the US/Mexico border use many Spanish and Indian words in everyday speech, but after a while I began to feel somewhat put upon by all this multiculturalism.
Antonio keeps telling us Ultima is not a witch, but she has an owl as a familiar and she casts counter-spells against three known brujas (witches), killing two of them before she herself is killed ... not directly, but by the father of the witches, who kills the owl and thus Ultima. So she's a witch. C'mon.
Apart from Antonio and Ultima, the other characters are paper cutouts, acting and speaking in predictable ways. It was interesting to see Antonio begin to question the teachings of the church and to embrace the paganism of Ultima and the mysterious golden carp, but that was all the excitement the novel offered, and Antonio's doubts grew tiresome after much repetition.
It's an okay story. I question how relevant it is to today's readers, but as a cornerstone of Mexican-American literature it is undoubtedly important. I'm glad I read it, but having read it, I remain far more interested in the reasons white people hate it than I am in the novel itself.
April 25, 2007
As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:
As a Hispanic, I cannot believe that I hadn't read *Bless Me, Ultima* earlier. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Anaya is a superb storyteller.
As it is in the Hispanic culture, elders are supposed to be taken care of whether or not they are family. So, in comes Ultima, an elderly curandera. A curandera is a faith healer, not a witch. However, some people may not see the difference between the two. The proper and respectful term to Ultima is Grande, meaning "wise one".
Antonio is the youngest boy in this particular family who has taken in Ultima. He is fascinated with everything related to Ultima. When he greets her for the first time, he calls her Ultima. He is scolded by his mother but Ultima intercepts. He's the only one who calls her Ultima throughout the book.
Ultima seems to have taken a fascination with Antonio. She selects him to accompany her to collect herbs and whatnots for her "practices". Also, when some people are curses with spells by the witches, Ultima takes Antonio with her to help break spells.
There are many things happening in this book. One thing that happened was that one of Antonio's uncles was afflicted with a spell that nearly cost him his life. When Ultima and Antonio break a spell, a local man and his 3 witch daughters vow revenge. One by one, Ultima encounters and breaks a spell, increasing Antonio's respect and curiosity of Ultima's powers. When a spell is broken, something terrible happens to the witch daughters, which increases their father's hatred for Ultima.
You just have to read the book. There is a lot of symbolisms in the book. The symbols are not subtle. You'll be reading but pondering over the symbols in your mind. Overall, Anaya tells this story wonderfully. There is no boring or slow parts in this book. Something is always happening which keeps you alert.
As a Hispanic, I cannot believe that I hadn't read *Bless Me, Ultima* earlier. Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. Anaya is a superb storyteller.
As it is in the Hispanic culture, elders are supposed to be taken care of whether or not they are family. So, in comes Ultima, an elderly curandera. A curandera is a faith healer, not a witch. However, some people may not see the difference between the two. The proper and respectful term to Ultima is Grande, meaning "wise one".
Antonio is the youngest boy in this particular family who has taken in Ultima. He is fascinated with everything related to Ultima. When he greets her for the first time, he calls her Ultima. He is scolded by his mother but Ultima intercepts. He's the only one who calls her Ultima throughout the book.
Ultima seems to have taken a fascination with Antonio. She selects him to accompany her to collect herbs and whatnots for her "practices". Also, when some people are curses with spells by the witches, Ultima takes Antonio with her to help break spells.
There are many things happening in this book. One thing that happened was that one of Antonio's uncles was afflicted with a spell that nearly cost him his life. When Ultima and Antonio break a spell, a local man and his 3 witch daughters vow revenge. One by one, Ultima encounters and breaks a spell, increasing Antonio's respect and curiosity of Ultima's powers. When a spell is broken, something terrible happens to the witch daughters, which increases their father's hatred for Ultima.
You just have to read the book. There is a lot of symbolisms in the book. The symbols are not subtle. You'll be reading but pondering over the symbols in your mind. Overall, Anaya tells this story wonderfully. There is no boring or slow parts in this book. Something is always happening which keeps you alert.
September 12, 2008
Being a native of New Mexico, I always heard references to this book growing up. I saw it in libraries, on recommended reading lists but never picked it up. I finally decided to read it after being transplanted to CA and was a little homesick and wanted to read something that would bring me closer to home. This is one of the books I reread every now and then because it brings my own childhood closer to me and reminds me of the sense of self in a small community like the one in Bless Me Ultima.
I think the unique relationship between Antonio and Ultima was the most endearing to me and made me think of my own grandmothers. There is a different pace to growing up in a rural community and the ties that Antonio had to family and traditions is something that I found familiar. The beauty of the landscape and its people are beautifully written by Anaya. I thought it would be a quaint book about life in New Mexico but it is a poignant coming-of-age story that discusses the familiar themes of the battle between good and evil, young and old, traditions and modernity. I was sad when the story ended.
I think the unique relationship between Antonio and Ultima was the most endearing to me and made me think of my own grandmothers. There is a different pace to growing up in a rural community and the ties that Antonio had to family and traditions is something that I found familiar. The beauty of the landscape and its people are beautifully written by Anaya. I thought it would be a quaint book about life in New Mexico but it is a poignant coming-of-age story that discusses the familiar themes of the battle between good and evil, young and old, traditions and modernity. I was sad when the story ended.
November 19, 2021
It's $1.99 on Kindle right now: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B006QBKIAY
GO BUY ONE AND READ IT!!
This was a one city, one book choice for Austin, Texas, where I lived at the time. It was my second reading of the title at that time, and I was as entranced the second time as I was the first. What a joyous ride through the wonderful magical world of Hispanic New Mexico.
I would recommend this to any reader of the magical realism school, or any fan of Hispanic literature, or anyone who needs a memorable escape from the real world.
GO BUY ONE AND READ IT!!
This was a one city, one book choice for Austin, Texas, where I lived at the time. It was my second reading of the title at that time, and I was as entranced the second time as I was the first. What a joyous ride through the wonderful magical world of Hispanic New Mexico.
I would recommend this to any reader of the magical realism school, or any fan of Hispanic literature, or anyone who needs a memorable escape from the real world.
April 27, 2022
How does a sensitive Hispanic boy named Antonio Márez, the son of parents with opposing backgrounds and the disparate influences of church, school, friends & especially "Ulitima", a curandera, someone who blends into one figure the role of an herbalist, midwife, family retainer, spiritualist & exorcist even begin to form his own identity?
Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me Ultima is a coming-of-age book that ends up being a great deal more, with elements that reminded me at times of the works of Gabriel Marquez but much more of Luis Urrea's excellent novel, Hummingbird's Daughter, set in a rather similar time & place.
Throughout the novel by Anaya, Antonio struggles to make sense of his existence, hemmed in by the forces of previous generations, a mother who wants him to become a priest, a father who prefers that he follow the traditions of the llano (grasslands) as a farmer who remains attuned to the earth and with it, its enduring but necessary complexity. As his father puts it to his son...
But with that, times for many farmers have changed with the disappearance of some family farms, the coming of the railroad, barbed wire & fences, uprooting people & taking away the freedom of the land & the sky.
In my view, Bless Me Ultima is not a book of magical realism, though there is definitely more than a hint of magic, including black magic.
Ultima acts as a centering force for Antonio, a mentor who helps him to decode the countering forces he observes. For it is the nature of one side of the family, the Lunas to be "quiet like the moon" & trust God, while the other side is bound to be "wild like the ocean from which they take their name, Márez & to roam the spaces of the llano that has become their home." Ultima cautions Antonio that he has plenty of time to find himself.
Ultima also tells Antonio about the importance of the common herbs & folk medicines his people "shared with the Indians of the Rio del Norte & of the ancient medicines of other tribes, the Aztecs, Mayas & even those in the old, old country, the Moors."
Well beyond the Catholic Church & his potential future as a priest, there is also the folklore legend of the "Golden Carp", another force that Antonio is exposed to & which he must interpret in his own fashion. And additionally, there is an ever-present owl that serves as an alter ego for Ultima, just another seemingly supernatural force for Antonio to be conscious of.
But as Antonio makes his first communion & with the knowledge that
This is not a novel with a grand scale or a totemic sense of the world but it is a tale I enjoyed very much, finding the characters quite memorable, the language Rudolfo Anaya employed to tell the story very uplifting & the lessons subscribed to seemingly universal. However, the book could have been enhanced by a glossary of the more unusual Spanish terms.
*Within my review are two images of author Rudolfo Anaya, including one of him receiving a presidential medal from Barack Obama, the image of the llano (grasslands) in New Mexico and a quote from the novel, Bless me Ultima.
Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me Ultima is a coming-of-age book that ends up being a great deal more, with elements that reminded me at times of the works of Gabriel Marquez but much more of Luis Urrea's excellent novel, Hummingbird's Daughter, set in a rather similar time & place.
Throughout the novel by Anaya, Antonio struggles to make sense of his existence, hemmed in by the forces of previous generations, a mother who wants him to become a priest, a father who prefers that he follow the traditions of the llano (grasslands) as a farmer who remains attuned to the earth and with it, its enduring but necessary complexity. As his father puts it to his son...
A wise man listens to the voice of the earth, Antonio. He listens because the weather the winds bring will be his salvation or his destruction.And having seen a man named Lopito murdered for no good reason, Antonio is perplexed by the nature of sin and of the forces of good vs. evil, the statues of the Virgin Mary & the saints vs. the presence of witches & black masses, earth vs moon, his mother's claim on him vs. his father's sense of the boy's destiny to follow generations of others who work the soil.
Like a young tree bends with the wind, so a man must bow to the earth--it is only when a man grows old & refuses to admit his earth-tie & dependence on mother nature that the powers of mother nature will turn upon him & destroy him, like the strong wind cracks an old, dry tree. It is not manly to blame our mistakes on the bomb, or any other thing. It is we who misuse the earth & must pay for our sins.
But with that, times for many farmers have changed with the disappearance of some family farms, the coming of the railroad, barbed wire & fences, uprooting people & taking away the freedom of the land & the sky.
In my view, Bless Me Ultima is not a book of magical realism, though there is definitely more than a hint of magic, including black magic.
Ultima acts as a centering force for Antonio, a mentor who helps him to decode the countering forces he observes. For it is the nature of one side of the family, the Lunas to be "quiet like the moon" & trust God, while the other side is bound to be "wild like the ocean from which they take their name, Márez & to roam the spaces of the llano that has become their home." Ultima cautions Antonio that he has plenty of time to find himself.
Ultima also tells Antonio about the importance of the common herbs & folk medicines his people "shared with the Indians of the Rio del Norte & of the ancient medicines of other tribes, the Aztecs, Mayas & even those in the old, old country, the Moors."
Well beyond the Catholic Church & his potential future as a priest, there is also the folklore legend of the "Golden Carp", another force that Antonio is exposed to & which he must interpret in his own fashion. And additionally, there is an ever-present owl that serves as an alter ego for Ultima, just another seemingly supernatural force for Antonio to be conscious of.
But as Antonio makes his first communion & with the knowledge that
Holy Mother Church took us under her wings & instructed us. We are told that God knows everything, he said to himself as he sat on the hard, wooden church pew & shivered. I want to know the mysteries of God. I want to take God into my body & have Him answer my questions. Why was my friend Narcisco killed while swimming?Cico, Antonio's friend who revealed the Golden Carp to him suggests that "there are many gods--gods of beauty & magic, gods of the garden, in our own back yards--but we go off to foreign countries & reach to the stars to find new ones. You have to choose which one to follow Tony."
Why does evil go unpunished? Why does He allow evil to exit? I wondered if the knowledge I sought would destroy me. But how could it, if it was God's knowledge?
This is not a novel with a grand scale or a totemic sense of the world but it is a tale I enjoyed very much, finding the characters quite memorable, the language Rudolfo Anaya employed to tell the story very uplifting & the lessons subscribed to seemingly universal. However, the book could have been enhanced by a glossary of the more unusual Spanish terms.
*Within my review are two images of author Rudolfo Anaya, including one of him receiving a presidential medal from Barack Obama, the image of the llano (grasslands) in New Mexico and a quote from the novel, Bless me Ultima.
July 9, 2018
This book just wasn't for me. 😑
October 6, 2013
How do I begin writing a review for this book? I guess I'll start with a story of how I came to read "Bless Me Ultima" and why I ended up reading it again in recent considerations (2013).
I read "Bless Me Ultima" for the first time in my AP Literature and Composition class. My teacher at the time had a list of books we could choose to do reports on and this was one of the choices that jumped out at me. It also surprised me that it was banned from many curriculum in different schools and districts (wasn't banned in my area, but it surprised me to know that this was banned in certain parts of my state at the time. I think the ban has been lifted since for those areas, but I'm not entirely sure.)
In any case, "Bless Me Ultima" really impressed me when I read it as a high school senior, and I wrote about it on my AP exam too (and did pretty well for my efforts).
I re-read "Bless Me Ultima" this year as kind of a way to get me out of a prolonged reading slump and also in honor of Banned Books week. I figure some of you have perhaps heard about the whole Goodreads censorship debacle that happened around that. I'm not going to go into too much detail with my sentiments or a recap of that, but I am going to say a few things about censorship, bullying, the experience of pain, and having to come to terms with difficult, contentious situations.
Having the platform to speak openly and honestly allows us to see the differences in the spheres of thought, ideals, and perceptions that we have in this life, no matter where it may originate. We may not always agree on things, but in getting different viewpoints on an issue of contention, even when the nature of that discussion may be controversial, it gives us a different lens to look through and level of understanding why a person's ideals may be the way they are, or even from where those ideals originate. Censorship is the worst measure for contributing to learning, understanding, and the promotion of ideals. It is the worst measure acting against enlightenment and coming to terms. Sometimes, talking about something of controversy, especially when it comes against long held, strongly held ideals can hurt - and it often does - but being able to transcend that hurt, learn and understand things for what they are, and being able to move forward with that education brings new light and life to the person who bears witness to or is a part of it. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can phrase it at this time.
If we're discussing the Goodreads controversy - so much of those contentions come from the misconceptions people have about bullying, about the nature of offense and what it means to be hurt by something, about what it means to give criticism and the nature of those criticisms, about professionalism and about the nature of the writing industry as a whole and what situations can be avoided versus those that are unavoidable. I'm frequently frustrated at what people call bullying in the writing industry, because by some erroneous definitions - saying things that may hurt or things that are termed as "mean" - with no distinctions on what or the severity of "mean" entails - is bullying. And I have to step up to the plate and say that's false, because as someone who used to be berated on aspects of my person such as my weight, my skin color, my height, my demeanor, among other things, for a prolonged period of time from people who didn't understand me and didn't want to understand me, who deliberately wanted to hurt and exert power over me over parts that they saw where I was weak or vulnerable...I beg to differ. I truly beg to differ.
There were times that I went to bed feeling so numb from the commentary (my experience was primarily verbal bullying) that I could not cry. The numbness was probably from a sea of conflicting emotions. It wasn't just sadness, it was frustration, it was wanting to say so many things, it was knowing what I knew to be right/wrong and the nature of my own experience and person and wanting to tell the people who said those things where they were wrong and why, but they didn't see that. They wouldn't talk, they wouldn't be open to talk, it was a power play, a domination. That the aspects of my person made me lesser, not of worth, that whatever I said, did, contributed, aimed for was meaningless.
It was bullying.
And even now, sometimes I ask myself how I survived any of that, and was still able to do the things that I wanted to do with my life back then. I would say it was a number of factors that aided me, even enlightened me, and I consider myself fortunate, though my experience doesn't speak for what others may endure or have endured. But I will say that bullying is more than just feeling pain in a singular dimension, and we can't afford reduce the term down to where it encompasses anyone who may act in a way we say is "mean" or is contentious. Bullying entails so much more than that.
That said, I don't personally put one's experiences of pain or hardship on a scale to rank or juxtapose against others, but rather I recognize the situations themselves, the origin, their impact on said person(s), and how to translate them. I had a professor in my undergrad uni, in my Gender, Health and Illness class that said something along the lines of "We may understand the clinical origins of one who suffers, and delineate terms in which to define it, but if we ignore the experiences of pain as voiced from the people who suffer within it and what factors may be exacerbating that pain, then we can never truly understand it."
So it's not that I lack understanding pain myself, or what it means to be hurt by something. Nor is it that I lack understanding that people have different degrees or experiences in that measure, but we have to know the difference - not just in the matter of enlightening others, but enlightening ourselves - in how to deal with it, and recognize where contention may be present and why. And that can't be done by just hearing one dimension or part of a situation, or stifling dialogue that can help bring discrepancies or agents/matters of harm or contention to light.
So what does this have to do with "Bless Me Ultima"? (And you may at this point be saying "Go figure, Rose.")
This is not a book for everyone. It's a coming of age story told in a magical realism realm that gives a very heavy examination of religious bargaining and critique. If you are deeply religious, and especially if you are Catholic, this book might offend you.
I think some groups attempted to justify the banning of this particular book because of those critiques/contrasts of religion and the matters in which young Antonio/Tony has to come to terms with in this novel, alongside some of the mystical elements, but I honestly thought this was a wonderful story showing a boy who becomes more mature from the questions he asks, from the contradictions he sees in his life, the experiences he has, and ultimately what he learns from the wisdom of the wise, elder Ultima.
Tony is a young boy who sounds wiser than his years, but unlike many "special snowflake" characters that one may see in YA books, Tony has his share of vulnerabilities. Granted, he's six years old when the narrative starts, but we watch him grow as he goes through school, goes to church, learns what is expected of him, but also learns of the hardships, prejudices, and experiences he faces head on. His curiosity to understand the life and the actions of people around him is both a blessing and a curse. He meets Ultima when she comes to live with his family. He thinks that he knows what his route in life will be and casts judgments against those he knows deviate from what he believes is a clear line of right and wrong. But at the same time, when events transpire beyond his control, when questions he has are left unanswered from the sources that are supposed to give him understanding - whether it's his family, his friends, his faith, among other things - he starts to question and his questions have due weight in the root of his experiences and relationships.
I'm not going to say that Anaya's narrative does this perfectly, especially with some overt pushes of ideology that don't settle well along the way, but I would say it does a very good job of getting into Antonio/Tony's experiences. I would also say that when the rolling action/conflict comes into play when it comes to matters that put him and the people he loves in danger, especially in the root of assumptions and prejudices, it is a very well developed story. I'll admit the ending still makes me misty-eyed for what occurs, but I understood that this was the point where Antonio/Tony realizes he's changed/grown, and there are layers of depth in thinking back through every experience and relationship he's had, even as he debates his faith and will in consideration of what occurs to him and around him. That I think makes this narrative worth reading, and even taking a step back from to consider the way we each view the world and what we know versus the things in life that never go the way we expect them to.
In any case, again, I know other people may not care for this narrative and I would say it has some flaws in turns of presentation, but I did very much enjoy this story for what it offered, and include it among my favorite stories. I give it an extra half-star for Robert Ramirez's well-presented narration of it in the audio version.
Overall score: 4.5/5 stars
I read "Bless Me Ultima" for the first time in my AP Literature and Composition class. My teacher at the time had a list of books we could choose to do reports on and this was one of the choices that jumped out at me. It also surprised me that it was banned from many curriculum in different schools and districts (wasn't banned in my area, but it surprised me to know that this was banned in certain parts of my state at the time. I think the ban has been lifted since for those areas, but I'm not entirely sure.)
In any case, "Bless Me Ultima" really impressed me when I read it as a high school senior, and I wrote about it on my AP exam too (and did pretty well for my efforts).
I re-read "Bless Me Ultima" this year as kind of a way to get me out of a prolonged reading slump and also in honor of Banned Books week. I figure some of you have perhaps heard about the whole Goodreads censorship debacle that happened around that. I'm not going to go into too much detail with my sentiments or a recap of that, but I am going to say a few things about censorship, bullying, the experience of pain, and having to come to terms with difficult, contentious situations.
Having the platform to speak openly and honestly allows us to see the differences in the spheres of thought, ideals, and perceptions that we have in this life, no matter where it may originate. We may not always agree on things, but in getting different viewpoints on an issue of contention, even when the nature of that discussion may be controversial, it gives us a different lens to look through and level of understanding why a person's ideals may be the way they are, or even from where those ideals originate. Censorship is the worst measure for contributing to learning, understanding, and the promotion of ideals. It is the worst measure acting against enlightenment and coming to terms. Sometimes, talking about something of controversy, especially when it comes against long held, strongly held ideals can hurt - and it often does - but being able to transcend that hurt, learn and understand things for what they are, and being able to move forward with that education brings new light and life to the person who bears witness to or is a part of it. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can phrase it at this time.
If we're discussing the Goodreads controversy - so much of those contentions come from the misconceptions people have about bullying, about the nature of offense and what it means to be hurt by something, about what it means to give criticism and the nature of those criticisms, about professionalism and about the nature of the writing industry as a whole and what situations can be avoided versus those that are unavoidable. I'm frequently frustrated at what people call bullying in the writing industry, because by some erroneous definitions - saying things that may hurt or things that are termed as "mean" - with no distinctions on what or the severity of "mean" entails - is bullying. And I have to step up to the plate and say that's false, because as someone who used to be berated on aspects of my person such as my weight, my skin color, my height, my demeanor, among other things, for a prolonged period of time from people who didn't understand me and didn't want to understand me, who deliberately wanted to hurt and exert power over me over parts that they saw where I was weak or vulnerable...I beg to differ. I truly beg to differ.
There were times that I went to bed feeling so numb from the commentary (my experience was primarily verbal bullying) that I could not cry. The numbness was probably from a sea of conflicting emotions. It wasn't just sadness, it was frustration, it was wanting to say so many things, it was knowing what I knew to be right/wrong and the nature of my own experience and person and wanting to tell the people who said those things where they were wrong and why, but they didn't see that. They wouldn't talk, they wouldn't be open to talk, it was a power play, a domination. That the aspects of my person made me lesser, not of worth, that whatever I said, did, contributed, aimed for was meaningless.
It was bullying.
And even now, sometimes I ask myself how I survived any of that, and was still able to do the things that I wanted to do with my life back then. I would say it was a number of factors that aided me, even enlightened me, and I consider myself fortunate, though my experience doesn't speak for what others may endure or have endured. But I will say that bullying is more than just feeling pain in a singular dimension, and we can't afford reduce the term down to where it encompasses anyone who may act in a way we say is "mean" or is contentious. Bullying entails so much more than that.
That said, I don't personally put one's experiences of pain or hardship on a scale to rank or juxtapose against others, but rather I recognize the situations themselves, the origin, their impact on said person(s), and how to translate them. I had a professor in my undergrad uni, in my Gender, Health and Illness class that said something along the lines of "We may understand the clinical origins of one who suffers, and delineate terms in which to define it, but if we ignore the experiences of pain as voiced from the people who suffer within it and what factors may be exacerbating that pain, then we can never truly understand it."
So it's not that I lack understanding pain myself, or what it means to be hurt by something. Nor is it that I lack understanding that people have different degrees or experiences in that measure, but we have to know the difference - not just in the matter of enlightening others, but enlightening ourselves - in how to deal with it, and recognize where contention may be present and why. And that can't be done by just hearing one dimension or part of a situation, or stifling dialogue that can help bring discrepancies or agents/matters of harm or contention to light.
So what does this have to do with "Bless Me Ultima"? (And you may at this point be saying "Go figure, Rose.")
This is not a book for everyone. It's a coming of age story told in a magical realism realm that gives a very heavy examination of religious bargaining and critique. If you are deeply religious, and especially if you are Catholic, this book might offend you.
I think some groups attempted to justify the banning of this particular book because of those critiques/contrasts of religion and the matters in which young Antonio/Tony has to come to terms with in this novel, alongside some of the mystical elements, but I honestly thought this was a wonderful story showing a boy who becomes more mature from the questions he asks, from the contradictions he sees in his life, the experiences he has, and ultimately what he learns from the wisdom of the wise, elder Ultima.
Tony is a young boy who sounds wiser than his years, but unlike many "special snowflake" characters that one may see in YA books, Tony has his share of vulnerabilities. Granted, he's six years old when the narrative starts, but we watch him grow as he goes through school, goes to church, learns what is expected of him, but also learns of the hardships, prejudices, and experiences he faces head on. His curiosity to understand the life and the actions of people around him is both a blessing and a curse. He meets Ultima when she comes to live with his family. He thinks that he knows what his route in life will be and casts judgments against those he knows deviate from what he believes is a clear line of right and wrong. But at the same time, when events transpire beyond his control, when questions he has are left unanswered from the sources that are supposed to give him understanding - whether it's his family, his friends, his faith, among other things - he starts to question and his questions have due weight in the root of his experiences and relationships.
I'm not going to say that Anaya's narrative does this perfectly, especially with some overt pushes of ideology that don't settle well along the way, but I would say it does a very good job of getting into Antonio/Tony's experiences. I would also say that when the rolling action/conflict comes into play when it comes to matters that put him and the people he loves in danger, especially in the root of assumptions and prejudices, it is a very well developed story. I'll admit the ending still makes me misty-eyed for what occurs, but I understood that this was the point where Antonio/Tony realizes he's changed/grown, and there are layers of depth in thinking back through every experience and relationship he's had, even as he debates his faith and will in consideration of what occurs to him and around him. That I think makes this narrative worth reading, and even taking a step back from to consider the way we each view the world and what we know versus the things in life that never go the way we expect them to.
In any case, again, I know other people may not care for this narrative and I would say it has some flaws in turns of presentation, but I did very much enjoy this story for what it offered, and include it among my favorite stories. I give it an extra half-star for Robert Ramirez's well-presented narration of it in the audio version.
Overall score: 4.5/5 stars
March 14, 2020
this was quite frankly the most boring book I’ve ever had to read for school
July 22, 2020
“From my mother I had learned that man is of the earth, that his clay feet are part of the ground that nourishes him, and that it is this inextricable mixture that gives man his measure of safety and security….But from my father and Ultima I had learned that the greater immortality is in the freedom of man, and that freedom is best nourished by the noble expanse of land and air and pure, white sky. I dreaded to think of a time when I could not walk upon the llano and feel like the eagle that floats on its skies: free, immortal, limitless.” – Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima
Antonio Márez is a young boy living in rural New Mexico in the mid-1940s. Última, a curandera (herbal healer), comes to live with his family due to her advancing age. Antonio’s father wants him to become a vaquero and his mother wants him to become a priest. In going to school for the first time, he is thrown into a multicultural environment – Anglo, Mexican, and Native American. Antonio narrates his story, looking back on his life from age six to nine. It is a classic coming of age story.
Antonio is exposed to a variety of beliefs. His mother is a devout Catholic, his father is not religious, Última embraces mystic folklore, a townsman believes in witches and curses, a fellow student is an atheist, and a friend finds the mysterious Golden Carp, a pagan god of Native American legend. He is exposed to violence and grapples with questions of why bad things happen to good people.
At first, I thought Antonio too young to be the protagonist of a coming of age story, but I think the author is portraying how an innocent child figures out how to “be” in the world. Antonio reflects on questions about religion, faith, spirituality, good vs. evil, mysticism, and folklore. For such a young person, he is quite the philosopher! And with him, the reader can engage in examining similar questions. By the end, while his path is not determined, we can see a way forward for him. It is a many-layered story that I found quite thought-provoking.
Antonio Márez is a young boy living in rural New Mexico in the mid-1940s. Última, a curandera (herbal healer), comes to live with his family due to her advancing age. Antonio’s father wants him to become a vaquero and his mother wants him to become a priest. In going to school for the first time, he is thrown into a multicultural environment – Anglo, Mexican, and Native American. Antonio narrates his story, looking back on his life from age six to nine. It is a classic coming of age story.
Antonio is exposed to a variety of beliefs. His mother is a devout Catholic, his father is not religious, Última embraces mystic folklore, a townsman believes in witches and curses, a fellow student is an atheist, and a friend finds the mysterious Golden Carp, a pagan god of Native American legend. He is exposed to violence and grapples with questions of why bad things happen to good people.
At first, I thought Antonio too young to be the protagonist of a coming of age story, but I think the author is portraying how an innocent child figures out how to “be” in the world. Antonio reflects on questions about religion, faith, spirituality, good vs. evil, mysticism, and folklore. For such a young person, he is quite the philosopher! And with him, the reader can engage in examining similar questions. By the end, while his path is not determined, we can see a way forward for him. It is a many-layered story that I found quite thought-provoking.
September 30, 2010
Post listen review
If you like really poetic and flowery language to describe the most mundane of details then this is the book for you. This book has murder, revenge, redemption, witchcraft and school bullies in it yet it was able to pretty much bore me the entire time.
Now I know that some people really enjoy a poetic book and I think that in some stories it works very well but in my opinion this is not one of them.
The story centers around a boy named Antonio who is struggling with faith and family expectations as he grows up. He has lots of choices open to him but seems to be destined to be a priest or a wanderer more or less.
His grandmother is a healer that is seen as a witch in his community. This is Ultima who blesses people and makes them better.
The plot itself never bothered me and the events described were all fine. What bothered me were things like the following. Antonio as he narrates says, "The sun of the east rose above our heads." Very poetic of course, but I just think, the sun only rises in the east so did we get a second sun or something? Why couldn't he just say it was dawn? Another example was the description when Antonio talks about the night and says,"Fatigue found us, followed by his brother sleep." In this case I just think, overpersonification. But again it is poetic. If you like that then it's great but if you don't have patience for it, like I didn't, then it gets tedious.
Now I want to be fair to this book though. It is a good book for people who are into poetic language and all kinds of religious debate and strange imagery. That is just not me. I will tell you that I would rather read this than Cormac McCarthy's The Road any day of the week. Still, I am not going to recommend it to anyone nor am I going to find it in print to read to myself.
Pre-Listen guess. I have seen this book around. No idea if it is any good but the last book I was listening to recommended this one so I hope it will be good.
If you like really poetic and flowery language to describe the most mundane of details then this is the book for you. This book has murder, revenge, redemption, witchcraft and school bullies in it yet it was able to pretty much bore me the entire time.
Now I know that some people really enjoy a poetic book and I think that in some stories it works very well but in my opinion this is not one of them.
The story centers around a boy named Antonio who is struggling with faith and family expectations as he grows up. He has lots of choices open to him but seems to be destined to be a priest or a wanderer more or less.
His grandmother is a healer that is seen as a witch in his community. This is Ultima who blesses people and makes them better.
The plot itself never bothered me and the events described were all fine. What bothered me were things like the following. Antonio as he narrates says, "The sun of the east rose above our heads." Very poetic of course, but I just think, the sun only rises in the east so did we get a second sun or something? Why couldn't he just say it was dawn? Another example was the description when Antonio talks about the night and says,"Fatigue found us, followed by his brother sleep." In this case I just think, overpersonification. But again it is poetic. If you like that then it's great but if you don't have patience for it, like I didn't, then it gets tedious.
Now I want to be fair to this book though. It is a good book for people who are into poetic language and all kinds of religious debate and strange imagery. That is just not me. I will tell you that I would rather read this than Cormac McCarthy's The Road any day of the week. Still, I am not going to recommend it to anyone nor am I going to find it in print to read to myself.
Pre-Listen guess. I have seen this book around. No idea if it is any good but the last book I was listening to recommended this one so I hope it will be good.
May 17, 2024
Wow... There is a lot going on in this one. It is interesting that it is a banned book. But I guess there is a lot of "bruha" and other-related craziness that may be the reason.
Antonio Marez was a good-ass kid for all that life gave him. He could have gone in many directions, but his heart was pure. The weirdest part of his character was the visionary dreams that got trippy. Sometimes, they were related, and other times, they just seemed strange.
Ultima is, of course, the best character other than Antonio. I love her confidence and am curious about the pull to stay with the Marez family for so long when she didn't seem to need to.
The rest of the Marez family annoyed the crap out of me. Each was quite selfish—the parents lived in weird mental states that crippled them in other areas of their lives. The older brothers were primarily useless to the family, and at some point, you never heard another word about the sisters, which was a bit weird.
This was an excellent magical realism coming-of-age story. If you want a darker take on some adjacently related Encanto-type stuff, this book is for you.
I had never heard of this and loved that my Winery Bookclub picked it for Hispanic Heritage Month Beautiful prose and worth reading. I could check it out again later in life.
4 Solid Stars.
Antonio Marez was a good-ass kid for all that life gave him. He could have gone in many directions, but his heart was pure. The weirdest part of his character was the visionary dreams that got trippy. Sometimes, they were related, and other times, they just seemed strange.
Ultima is, of course, the best character other than Antonio. I love her confidence and am curious about the pull to stay with the Marez family for so long when she didn't seem to need to.
The rest of the Marez family annoyed the crap out of me. Each was quite selfish—the parents lived in weird mental states that crippled them in other areas of their lives. The older brothers were primarily useless to the family, and at some point, you never heard another word about the sisters, which was a bit weird.
This was an excellent magical realism coming-of-age story. If you want a darker take on some adjacently related Encanto-type stuff, this book is for you.
I had never heard of this and loved that my Winery Bookclub picked it for Hispanic Heritage Month Beautiful prose and worth reading. I could check it out again later in life.
4 Solid Stars.
May 18, 2019
Mystical, magical coming of age. . . .losing people you love and dealing with religion. Having to sort the many baskets of belief that are brought to your life by the people who surround you. People who control you with love, who have authority over you in society, people you give your power to in exchange for friendship, for place, for things. . . .they all believe different things and there is a pivotal moment when you realize they all want you to join THEIR team (the RIGHT team)! And there are important people who think they are THE most important people in your life and for them, there is no choice to be made – their belief is, of course, your belief. How could it be otherwise? You are flesh of their flesh. . . . you look around and there are so many others who have different opinions and whisper sly whispers to help you see how things really are. . .
It's a dark and scary world when you are coming up through those clouds and fogs and brilliant flashes and stories and songs and all is done in the name of God(s) and experiencing puberty and new expectations which apparently come with outrageous obligations - all at the same time (12 - 18ish). . .oh, what a mess it can be. . . Bless Me, Ultima reminded me of that terrifying time, that choosing time. . . .where everyone tells you it is the only choosing time you’ll have in life. Baloney. We will be doing that "choosing" every single day we have on this precious planet.
All that philosophical blather is given as a backstory to this observation while reading BMU: I was lost. Often. I got the chronology, roughly, and the characters – mostly. Still am not sure exactly who some folks are – there’s definitely some Mystical Magicals in the lineup. And, a true desire for my very own Golden Carp (tell me that is not just a transposed title. .. .? anyway. . . 😉 ) Halfway through I was itchy. Never a good sign. As I read through some of the reviews I note many added that this was an assigned reading the first time around. I get that. Had someone given this to me as a kid, a grade for finishing would have been required for me to get her done. Heck, as a mostly grown-up it was just that stubborn, you got to the 50% mark, you are required to finish rule that dragged me to the finish line. I knew whatever happened to the owl was gonna happen to Ultima. . . .oh boy. That’s me getting in trouble with the spoiler monitors. I’ll stop. Glad to have done it. Might revisit one day, especially if I read another by this author.
Word.
It's a dark and scary world when you are coming up through those clouds and fogs and brilliant flashes and stories and songs and all is done in the name of God(s) and experiencing puberty and new expectations which apparently come with outrageous obligations - all at the same time (12 - 18ish). . .oh, what a mess it can be. . . Bless Me, Ultima reminded me of that terrifying time, that choosing time. . . .where everyone tells you it is the only choosing time you’ll have in life. Baloney. We will be doing that "choosing" every single day we have on this precious planet.
All that philosophical blather is given as a backstory to this observation while reading BMU: I was lost. Often. I got the chronology, roughly, and the characters – mostly. Still am not sure exactly who some folks are – there’s definitely some Mystical Magicals in the lineup. And, a true desire for my very own Golden Carp (tell me that is not just a transposed title. .. .? anyway. . . 😉 ) Halfway through I was itchy. Never a good sign. As I read through some of the reviews I note many added that this was an assigned reading the first time around. I get that. Had someone given this to me as a kid, a grade for finishing would have been required for me to get her done. Heck, as a mostly grown-up it was just that stubborn, you got to the 50% mark, you are required to finish rule that dragged me to the finish line. I knew whatever happened to the owl was gonna happen to Ultima. . . .oh boy. That’s me getting in trouble with the spoiler monitors. I’ll stop. Glad to have done it. Might revisit one day, especially if I read another by this author.
Word.
January 24, 2018
Bless Me, Ultima is set in a small village on the edge of the plains (the llano) of New Mexico during the 1940s. It is a coming of age novel from the Hispanic perspective. Six year old Antonio must grapple with many conflicts as he strives to grow into a man in a multi-faith, multi-cultural setting.
Antonio has been born into a Catholic family and looks forward to his first Communion, but he has many questions about his natal faith. Paganism is native to this area of the Southwest and Antonio finds much to admire in this belief system. Antonio has a keen eye and mind that is open to many ideas as he searches for what is true. Both world views are present within his home. His mother is a strong Catholic while his elderly aunt Ultima (La Grande) is a curandera (healer) who aligns with a more pagan world view with its focus on the natural world.
Being in the Southwest, Antonio must also live in two cultures simultaneously. His native tongue is Spanish. When we first encounter Antonio, he speaks no English. He learns the English language and Anglo culture at school and is such a quick learner that he is promoted directly from first to third grade after his first year at school. He has a naturally inquiring mind that works well in a scholarly environment.
Antonio's mother is extremely proud of her little scholar since she has aspirations for him to become a priest and fill a role that has been missing for generations from her agrarian family. Antonio's maternal grandfather and uncles are the Lunas. They are peaceful farmers connected to the land and the flowing of seasons. Mama wants her Antonito to grow into a gentle and quiet man who fits into the Luna family mold. Antonio's father hopes for his son to become, like all Marez men, a plainsman of the llano. This group are a free spirited and wild bunch who prefer the wide open spaces and nomadic life. Alongside this parental struggle to bestow identity upon their son, is Ultima who teaches Antonio the healing arts and encourages him to listen to his own mind and heart. Ultima tells him that he must decide for himself what kind of man he will become.
Antonio experiences change as a palpable thing that affects him deeply as he searches for identity and embarks on his journey to manhood. I was transported back to that youthful hypersensitivity to change as Antonio tells his brother:
"I don't know--sometimes I get the feeling that I will come home, and it will all be changed. It won't be the same anymore--" I could not tell him that I wanted the castle of giants to stand forever, that I wanted the goat path and the hill to be for always. But I had misgivings, I was beginning to learn that things wouldn't always be the same.
Bless Me, Ultima is a poignant novel that engaged my emotions while it wrapped me in beautiful prose that made it hard to put down each night. I was drawn into the story. I felt sadness and terror and confusion. I also felt happiness and peace and hopefulness. Anaya's descriptions of the natural world were absolutely stunning and, at times, brought me to tears. I will not soon forget this book.
Antonio has been born into a Catholic family and looks forward to his first Communion, but he has many questions about his natal faith. Paganism is native to this area of the Southwest and Antonio finds much to admire in this belief system. Antonio has a keen eye and mind that is open to many ideas as he searches for what is true. Both world views are present within his home. His mother is a strong Catholic while his elderly aunt Ultima (La Grande) is a curandera (healer) who aligns with a more pagan world view with its focus on the natural world.
Being in the Southwest, Antonio must also live in two cultures simultaneously. His native tongue is Spanish. When we first encounter Antonio, he speaks no English. He learns the English language and Anglo culture at school and is such a quick learner that he is promoted directly from first to third grade after his first year at school. He has a naturally inquiring mind that works well in a scholarly environment.
Antonio's mother is extremely proud of her little scholar since she has aspirations for him to become a priest and fill a role that has been missing for generations from her agrarian family. Antonio's maternal grandfather and uncles are the Lunas. They are peaceful farmers connected to the land and the flowing of seasons. Mama wants her Antonito to grow into a gentle and quiet man who fits into the Luna family mold. Antonio's father hopes for his son to become, like all Marez men, a plainsman of the llano. This group are a free spirited and wild bunch who prefer the wide open spaces and nomadic life. Alongside this parental struggle to bestow identity upon their son, is Ultima who teaches Antonio the healing arts and encourages him to listen to his own mind and heart. Ultima tells him that he must decide for himself what kind of man he will become.
Antonio experiences change as a palpable thing that affects him deeply as he searches for identity and embarks on his journey to manhood. I was transported back to that youthful hypersensitivity to change as Antonio tells his brother:
"I don't know--sometimes I get the feeling that I will come home, and it will all be changed. It won't be the same anymore--" I could not tell him that I wanted the castle of giants to stand forever, that I wanted the goat path and the hill to be for always. But I had misgivings, I was beginning to learn that things wouldn't always be the same.
Bless Me, Ultima is a poignant novel that engaged my emotions while it wrapped me in beautiful prose that made it hard to put down each night. I was drawn into the story. I felt sadness and terror and confusion. I also felt happiness and peace and hopefulness. Anaya's descriptions of the natural world were absolutely stunning and, at times, brought me to tears. I will not soon forget this book.
November 10, 2021
Lots of magic and mysticism in this well written coming of age story. The author attacks central and important life issues in a story about a small town. Cultural, social, religious and life perspective differences are featured for conflict inquiry. A good read
March 20, 2019
Rudolfo Anaya reconstructs our understanding of Chicano culture. From the outset he insists on colloquialisms and idioms voiced in untranslated Spanish. This linguistic choice is a subtle indicator of a growing disconnect between the non-English speaking older generation and their English language schooled children.
An almost medieval Catholicism pervades the story. Six-year-old Antonio is torn by the opposing ambitions of his parents. His mother believes he is marked for the priesthood. She insistently voices her conviction at every possible occasion. She ushers her children before the household shrine to pray — for the safety of her older sons who are fighting in World War II, for protection from a vindictive enemy named Tenorio, and to thank God for each narrow escape from the threat of violence. The narrative itself follows the course of two years, and tracks Antonio's progress toward his first confession and communion. Ash Wednesday, the re-enactment of the stations of the cross, and the very literal understanding of transubstantiation on Easter Sunday are described with dramatic intensity. Over these two years, Antonio has been questioning why God permits evil. He has convinced himself that once God has entered him, God will give him answers: “I caught a glimpse of the small, white wafer, the risen Christ, and then I closed my eyes and felt the host placed on my tongue. I received Him gladly, and swallowed Him! At last! I flooded the sticky piece of bread with hot saliva and swallowed it. God. Now I would know the answers! I bowed my head and waited for Him to speak to me....I closed my eyes and concentrated. I had just swallowed Him, He must be in there!...A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the Voice within me did not answer. There was only silence.” (p.220-221)
But other religious currents are alive in this culture as well. The Virgin of Guadalupe offers a more intimate version of Catholicism that bridges the personal and the supernatural. Antonio's mother has a beautiful two foot statue of this virgin on her altar. Antonio describes the statue. The Virgin is cloaked in the dark blue gown of the night sky, and stands “on the bright, horned moon of autumn.” (p.45) “About her feet were the winged heads of angels, the babes of Limbo. She wore a crown on her head because she was the queen of Heaven. There was no one I loved more than the Virgin.” (p.43) The Virgin forgave. The Virgin wrought miracles. The Virgin interceded with God on behalf of man. Belief in her balanced an orthodoxy based on fear.
A third and even more resonant religious current was derived from the indigenous native culture. Antonio's friend Samuel repeats the myth of the huge Golden Carp that lives in the waterways surrounding the town. This story was passed on to his father by an Indian who lives in the hills. According to the myth, the Carp was a god who chose to be transformed into a carp in sympathy for the humans who had been punished by the other gods for their wickedness. Cisco, another friend, leads him to the waterway that flows from the Hidden Lakes, where the Carp swims. Antonio is overcome with awe by this unexpected communion with nature: “I knew I had witnessed a miraculous thing, the appearance of a pagan god, a thing as miraculous as the curing of my Uncle Lucas. And I thought, the power of God failed where Ultima's worked; and then a sudden illumination of beauty and understanding flashed through my mind. This is what I had expected God to do at my first holy communion!” (p.114)
Ultima is the ancient curandera who lives with Antonio's family. She is the midwife who assisted at his birth. She gathers medicinal herbs from the Ilano, the open unsettled plains. She is also a skilled exorcist and had reversed a curse cast on Antonio's uncle by the daughters of the evil Tenario. In Ultima's presence, Antonio feels a mystical Presence that inhabits nature. Ultima's knowledge harmonizes the competing cultures of the past into a palimpsest of historical tradition. “She spoke to me of the common herbs and medicines we shared with the Indians of the Rio del Norte. She spoke of the ancient medicines of other tribes, the Aztecas, Mayas, and even of those in the old, old country, the Moors.” (p.42)
This sense of harmony contrasts with the competing forces of the present. His father rhapsodizes with morose nostalgia about the freedom of the vaqueros who roamed the Ilano on horseback before the tejanos and Anglos came with their fences and machines to desecrate the land. His ineffectual mother looks to the productive labor of her brothers. They are farmers. They follow the predictable seasonal cycle of planting, tending and harvesting marked by the periodic phases of the moon. His father's family is Márez (water); his mother's family is Luna (moon). His parents argue almost constantly. Which bloodline will prevail in Antonio?
An early conflict is the secular code of revenge against the sacred commandment against murder. Advancing secular values are also represented by the town. Antonio and his closest friends live across the river just outside of the town. Their isolation suggests a protected innocence.
The patriarchal structure of families in this novel is another focal point. The narrative follows Antonio's incremental steps toward “becoming a man.” Instead of remaining in the safety of the house, he runs to the bridge where he witnesses violence. During the excorcism that cures his uncle, Ultima performs a harrowing transmigration of bodies between Antonio and the dying uncle. Antonio puzzles over disturbing dreams and struggles to reconcile them with the truth rather than dismiss them. At one point, he comes to understand that he can make his own decisions. In the end, he is the one whom Ultima entrusts with her secret and whom she invests with the authority to carry out her wishes.
Anaya is a gifted storyteller. The manhunt for Lupito, the exorcism and the dream sequences are horrific and portentous. Descriptions of the land, the river, and the Golden Carp myth are lyrical. He skillfully inserts suggestive parallels. Antonio's three lost brothers, doomed to wander and guided only by their own appetites and whims are the counterpoint of the Biblical three wise men guided by the divine light of the star. Tenorio's three daughters form an unholy trinity. The curse at the Agua Negra ranch involves the defiled ghosts of three lynched Comanches. One of Antonio's uncles admits he failed to warn Ultima of danger because he was afraid. It is certainly no accident that the character's name is Pedro (referencing the apostle Peter who denied association with Christ three times out of fear).
Unfortunately, the book as a whole failed to capture my heart. It is a coming-of-age story about Antonio's understanding of independence through Ultima's courage. However, the flaws of the culture — an acceptance of superstition as knowledge, the dismissive role of women, and the patriarchal assumptions of authority — are never really resolved. No doubt someone raised in this culture would have a deeper interpretation. Antonio's experiences are obviously meant to resonate with the reality of someone who grew up in this culture.
NOTES:
an essay on the range of world views reflected in the literature of the west: https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/27/ma...
Surprising Censorship: http://plumafronteriza.blogspot.com/2...
translations of many of the Spanish words and phrase: http://pages.mtu.edu/~smbosche/course...
An almost medieval Catholicism pervades the story. Six-year-old Antonio is torn by the opposing ambitions of his parents. His mother believes he is marked for the priesthood. She insistently voices her conviction at every possible occasion. She ushers her children before the household shrine to pray — for the safety of her older sons who are fighting in World War II, for protection from a vindictive enemy named Tenorio, and to thank God for each narrow escape from the threat of violence. The narrative itself follows the course of two years, and tracks Antonio's progress toward his first confession and communion. Ash Wednesday, the re-enactment of the stations of the cross, and the very literal understanding of transubstantiation on Easter Sunday are described with dramatic intensity. Over these two years, Antonio has been questioning why God permits evil. He has convinced himself that once God has entered him, God will give him answers: “I caught a glimpse of the small, white wafer, the risen Christ, and then I closed my eyes and felt the host placed on my tongue. I received Him gladly, and swallowed Him! At last! I flooded the sticky piece of bread with hot saliva and swallowed it. God. Now I would know the answers! I bowed my head and waited for Him to speak to me....I closed my eyes and concentrated. I had just swallowed Him, He must be in there!...A thousand questions pushed through my mind, but the Voice within me did not answer. There was only silence.” (p.220-221)
But other religious currents are alive in this culture as well. The Virgin of Guadalupe offers a more intimate version of Catholicism that bridges the personal and the supernatural. Antonio's mother has a beautiful two foot statue of this virgin on her altar. Antonio describes the statue. The Virgin is cloaked in the dark blue gown of the night sky, and stands “on the bright, horned moon of autumn.” (p.45) “About her feet were the winged heads of angels, the babes of Limbo. She wore a crown on her head because she was the queen of Heaven. There was no one I loved more than the Virgin.” (p.43) The Virgin forgave. The Virgin wrought miracles. The Virgin interceded with God on behalf of man. Belief in her balanced an orthodoxy based on fear.
A third and even more resonant religious current was derived from the indigenous native culture. Antonio's friend Samuel repeats the myth of the huge Golden Carp that lives in the waterways surrounding the town. This story was passed on to his father by an Indian who lives in the hills. According to the myth, the Carp was a god who chose to be transformed into a carp in sympathy for the humans who had been punished by the other gods for their wickedness. Cisco, another friend, leads him to the waterway that flows from the Hidden Lakes, where the Carp swims. Antonio is overcome with awe by this unexpected communion with nature: “I knew I had witnessed a miraculous thing, the appearance of a pagan god, a thing as miraculous as the curing of my Uncle Lucas. And I thought, the power of God failed where Ultima's worked; and then a sudden illumination of beauty and understanding flashed through my mind. This is what I had expected God to do at my first holy communion!” (p.114)
Ultima is the ancient curandera who lives with Antonio's family. She is the midwife who assisted at his birth. She gathers medicinal herbs from the Ilano, the open unsettled plains. She is also a skilled exorcist and had reversed a curse cast on Antonio's uncle by the daughters of the evil Tenario. In Ultima's presence, Antonio feels a mystical Presence that inhabits nature. Ultima's knowledge harmonizes the competing cultures of the past into a palimpsest of historical tradition. “She spoke to me of the common herbs and medicines we shared with the Indians of the Rio del Norte. She spoke of the ancient medicines of other tribes, the Aztecas, Mayas, and even of those in the old, old country, the Moors.” (p.42)
This sense of harmony contrasts with the competing forces of the present. His father rhapsodizes with morose nostalgia about the freedom of the vaqueros who roamed the Ilano on horseback before the tejanos and Anglos came with their fences and machines to desecrate the land. His ineffectual mother looks to the productive labor of her brothers. They are farmers. They follow the predictable seasonal cycle of planting, tending and harvesting marked by the periodic phases of the moon. His father's family is Márez (water); his mother's family is Luna (moon). His parents argue almost constantly. Which bloodline will prevail in Antonio?
An early conflict is the secular code of revenge against the sacred commandment against murder. Advancing secular values are also represented by the town. Antonio and his closest friends live across the river just outside of the town. Their isolation suggests a protected innocence.
The patriarchal structure of families in this novel is another focal point. The narrative follows Antonio's incremental steps toward “becoming a man.” Instead of remaining in the safety of the house, he runs to the bridge where he witnesses violence. During the excorcism that cures his uncle, Ultima performs a harrowing transmigration of bodies between Antonio and the dying uncle. Antonio puzzles over disturbing dreams and struggles to reconcile them with the truth rather than dismiss them. At one point, he comes to understand that he can make his own decisions. In the end, he is the one whom Ultima entrusts with her secret and whom she invests with the authority to carry out her wishes.
Anaya is a gifted storyteller. The manhunt for Lupito, the exorcism and the dream sequences are horrific and portentous. Descriptions of the land, the river, and the Golden Carp myth are lyrical. He skillfully inserts suggestive parallels. Antonio's three lost brothers, doomed to wander and guided only by their own appetites and whims are the counterpoint of the Biblical three wise men guided by the divine light of the star. Tenorio's three daughters form an unholy trinity. The curse at the Agua Negra ranch involves the defiled ghosts of three lynched Comanches. One of Antonio's uncles admits he failed to warn Ultima of danger because he was afraid. It is certainly no accident that the character's name is Pedro (referencing the apostle Peter who denied association with Christ three times out of fear).
Unfortunately, the book as a whole failed to capture my heart. It is a coming-of-age story about Antonio's understanding of independence through Ultima's courage. However, the flaws of the culture — an acceptance of superstition as knowledge, the dismissive role of women, and the patriarchal assumptions of authority — are never really resolved. No doubt someone raised in this culture would have a deeper interpretation. Antonio's experiences are obviously meant to resonate with the reality of someone who grew up in this culture.
NOTES:
an essay on the range of world views reflected in the literature of the west: https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/27/ma...
Surprising Censorship: http://plumafronteriza.blogspot.com/2...
translations of many of the Spanish words and phrase: http://pages.mtu.edu/~smbosche/course...
April 4, 2019
Five stars are not enough for this timeless classic! I would give it one hundred stars if I could! Bless Me Ultima is one of those tales, part coming of age story, part magical, that I could read time and time again and never grow tired of it. It never fails to touch me deep in my soul.
Edited to add: I've read this book now 4 times, once a decade since first discovering. I still love it as much as I did the first time I read it and I always discover new things.
In the meantime I found this interview of Rudolfo Anaya which goes into the background of the novel.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=flYMNJU...
I think it's important for people reading this book for the first time now in 2019 know a little of this. Bless me Utima came out in 1972. Anaya started writing it in the 1960s as a memoir about his childhood. Some of the characters in the book are from his real life.
He grew up in a small town similar to the one in the novel. He actually had a childhood friend named Horse, as well there was a down drunk with a heart of gold named Narisco. He also had 3 older brothers who fought in WW2. Only later did he have a type of vision of Ultima. He says what started as a book about his childhood morphed into something deeper and the novel became more and more multilayered.
Whether one likes this book or not, I think one has to take in to consideration the time it was written. There were no books like this at the time.
Edited to add: I've read this book now 4 times, once a decade since first discovering. I still love it as much as I did the first time I read it and I always discover new things.
In the meantime I found this interview of Rudolfo Anaya which goes into the background of the novel.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=flYMNJU...
I think it's important for people reading this book for the first time now in 2019 know a little of this. Bless me Utima came out in 1972. Anaya started writing it in the 1960s as a memoir about his childhood. Some of the characters in the book are from his real life.
He grew up in a small town similar to the one in the novel. He actually had a childhood friend named Horse, as well there was a down drunk with a heart of gold named Narisco. He also had 3 older brothers who fought in WW2. Only later did he have a type of vision of Ultima. He says what started as a book about his childhood morphed into something deeper and the novel became more and more multilayered.
Whether one likes this book or not, I think one has to take in to consideration the time it was written. There were no books like this at the time.
August 20, 2011
This is a delightful story written by a Mexican-American who is widely read, Rudolfo Anaya. The book won the Premio Quinto Sol, national Chicano literary award. It is the story of six-year-old Antonio Marez who bonds with Ultima, a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under the guidance of this wise woman, Antonio examines family ties that bind him and tear him apart and discovers himself in the magical past.
Antonio is strongly influenced by the church, a curandera named Ultima, witches, and ghosts. It's fascinating to see how these concepts affect Antonio, his family, community and friends. While my college Spanish is rusty, I have plowed through the book and delighted in the childish dreams and fantasies expressed by Antonio. At times I think that Antonio uses vocabulary that is beyond his years but that does not detract from the story. The book is a good in depth look at life in a Spanish family in the 1940s. While this is quite different from much of the historical fiction I have read I found it a fine read!
Antonio is strongly influenced by the church, a curandera named Ultima, witches, and ghosts. It's fascinating to see how these concepts affect Antonio, his family, community and friends. While my college Spanish is rusty, I have plowed through the book and delighted in the childish dreams and fantasies expressed by Antonio. At times I think that Antonio uses vocabulary that is beyond his years but that does not detract from the story. The book is a good in depth look at life in a Spanish family in the 1940s. While this is quite different from much of the historical fiction I have read I found it a fine read!
September 15, 2011
An encounter with a good book is occasionally as mystical as the story within it. As I prepared to move to New Mexico, several people told me I had to read Bless Me, Ultima. I had never heard of it.
Then, during the Great Yard Sale, it happened. I spread my books out over several tables and crates, saying goodbye to hundreds of comrades who had been with me for so long. And there, on the top of a box that I could have sworn were all cookbooks I was letting go of, I saw Rudolfo Anaya's novel.
What can I say? What can I add to the river of ink that has poured out this story's and this writer's praise? What insight can I add to the banks of book reports written by students forced to read this by wise teachers? What revelation can I share that won't simply be lost in the flood?
None but this: this book that insisted on being read, lived up to and beyond the amazing nature of my encounter with it.
Then, during the Great Yard Sale, it happened. I spread my books out over several tables and crates, saying goodbye to hundreds of comrades who had been with me for so long. And there, on the top of a box that I could have sworn were all cookbooks I was letting go of, I saw Rudolfo Anaya's novel.
What can I say? What can I add to the river of ink that has poured out this story's and this writer's praise? What insight can I add to the banks of book reports written by students forced to read this by wise teachers? What revelation can I share that won't simply be lost in the flood?
None but this: this book that insisted on being read, lived up to and beyond the amazing nature of my encounter with it.
April 16, 2021
4.5/5 stars
Understanding comes with life. As a man grows he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people - sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding, because in the end understanding simply means having sympathy for people.
Trigger warnings: Death, grief, PTSD, bullying, suicide, emetophobia, body horror
Bless Me Ultima was an assigned read of my previous semester, and when our professor introduced it, I was very excited to see what it would contain. I was taken aback and swept away by a powerful coming of age story of a child who saw too much death and held on to the promise of the world, torn between cultures and changes. It was a book that made me cry and ache multiple times, and gave me a lot to think about, considering how much was packed here.
The story follows a young boy named Tony Marez, who lives his life balanced between the stories of the vaqueros of his father, and the quiet, Catholic ideals of his mother. His eyes are opened to the world with the help of Ultima, a curandera who becomes his mentor and a pillar of strength for him. As he grows and faces death and trauma, pain and vexation, he realises that he might have to choose a path, but he can also construct his own, and combine multiple ideals for a future that suits him.
There are many things that can be told about this. Anaya’s pen transforms feelings and thoughts into words, and opens a child’s mind to our eyes, but not only that. It also makes us connect to Tony and hurt when he does, makes us fear for him and wish to protect him. It records a deep rift in the matter of all things, in the experiences of a Latine person, in the fight between good and evil and the lines that blur within. The plot feels like a surprising trip, and the relationships, especially the familial ties within this are so interestingly constructed and seen. The bond between mentor and student was the most important, and it was so fleshed-out and radiant that it filled me with warmth.
Another thing I loved in this was the representation of trauma, the deep, guttural fear and overwhelming exhaustion, as well as the sticky, suffocating representation of the feeling of grief. In general, this book handled emotion really well, and although it presented it as described by a child, it was raw and realistic enough.
All in all, I really enjoyed Bless Me Ultima, and would like to read more of Anaya’s bibliography in the future! I recommend this for people who are reluctant to get into classics, because I believe it is a good place to start ♥ Until the next review, stay safe and enjoy your reading
~Mary ♥
Understanding comes with life. As a man grows he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people - sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding, because in the end understanding simply means having sympathy for people.
Trigger warnings: Death, grief, PTSD, bullying, suicide, emetophobia, body horror
Bless Me Ultima was an assigned read of my previous semester, and when our professor introduced it, I was very excited to see what it would contain. I was taken aback and swept away by a powerful coming of age story of a child who saw too much death and held on to the promise of the world, torn between cultures and changes. It was a book that made me cry and ache multiple times, and gave me a lot to think about, considering how much was packed here.
The story follows a young boy named Tony Marez, who lives his life balanced between the stories of the vaqueros of his father, and the quiet, Catholic ideals of his mother. His eyes are opened to the world with the help of Ultima, a curandera who becomes his mentor and a pillar of strength for him. As he grows and faces death and trauma, pain and vexation, he realises that he might have to choose a path, but he can also construct his own, and combine multiple ideals for a future that suits him.
There are many things that can be told about this. Anaya’s pen transforms feelings and thoughts into words, and opens a child’s mind to our eyes, but not only that. It also makes us connect to Tony and hurt when he does, makes us fear for him and wish to protect him. It records a deep rift in the matter of all things, in the experiences of a Latine person, in the fight between good and evil and the lines that blur within. The plot feels like a surprising trip, and the relationships, especially the familial ties within this are so interestingly constructed and seen. The bond between mentor and student was the most important, and it was so fleshed-out and radiant that it filled me with warmth.
Another thing I loved in this was the representation of trauma, the deep, guttural fear and overwhelming exhaustion, as well as the sticky, suffocating representation of the feeling of grief. In general, this book handled emotion really well, and although it presented it as described by a child, it was raw and realistic enough.
All in all, I really enjoyed Bless Me Ultima, and would like to read more of Anaya’s bibliography in the future! I recommend this for people who are reluctant to get into classics, because I believe it is a good place to start ♥ Until the next review, stay safe and enjoy your reading
~Mary ♥
November 29, 2008
This was the "Big Read" this year? The language was filled with the "F" word in both English and Spanish. The brother visited the whore house on a regular basis. God had no real power, but the power to bring guilt and fear. He couldn't even bring as much comfort as a "golden carp" in a river. BUT the "healer" who used voodoo and dark magic, could perform miracles with her "good magic". I cringe to think that some schools across the nations used this as reading in their curriculum. Who chooses these books? The only reason I made myself finish this book is because I knew that some of our young people were also being made to read it and I wanted to know what to say if anyone asked me about it. BIG READ, Hah! Big "golden CRAP" more like it!
December 6, 2008
Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima (Tonatiuh, 1972)
Bless Me, Ultima has gotten itself a lot of attention over the past decade or so. It seems like every time the book makes it onto a school reading list, someone, somewhere, challenges it. (It's ironic that the book also landed on Laura Bush's list of the ten best novels for people of all ages, since the ones who challenge books are oftentimes the same ones who follow mindless, slavish devotion to the Bush regime.) That's the sort of thing that attracts me like a fly to honey, because no one ever challenges books for the right reasons. When it comes right down to it, there's only one right reason to challenge a book on a school's reading list: because it's a bad book. I'm sure there's someone out there who would say of people who challenge books because they have “bad language” or “champion the homosexual agenda” or are in some way “explicit” that they're doing what they believe in their heart to be the right thing, and so are honorable. I'm not one of those people. I think they should all be rounded up and carted off to form their own community in Kansas, where they can all be on the school board and choose all the books in the school library to make sure nothing offensive ever passes the eyes (and minds) of their beloved oversheltered rats. (It would make a great social experiment, too, and the parents' heads would explode when their kids still managed to discover sex and profanity without ever once having read Catcher in the Rye. But I digress.) In any case, I have found it very rare that these two conflicting reasons for trying to get a book out of the hands of the nation's school students intersects. But, after eleven months of trying to stomach this dog, I confess that this is one of those times. I do think this book should be kept away from schoolchildren. Not because of any explicit content; I must not have gotten far enough to find the offending scene(s) (or the parents of today are even more sensitive than I berate them for being). Just because it's the kind of book that a kid gets assigned in school, suffers through, hates, and then takes one more step down the path to abandoning reading because it's such a damnable chore. If I'd have had to stomach this in high school, I might have ended up feeling the same thing. Nothing of any consequence whatsoever happens during the portion of this book I read (and I admit that I used the strictest possible interpretation of the fifty-page rule on this one). We get so little character development that there's no justifying of nothing happening during the portion of this book I read. And it lacks entirely the readability that would have kept me going past fifty pages despite having no character development or plot advancement. I find myself wondering what on earth those first fifty pages were for, and why some merciful editor didn't make massive cuts to them. I'm sure that any information that would later become useful could have been distilled into a tenth of the space. But I'm not to put myself through, extrapolating from the time I've already spent trying to make myself read this, another three and a half years to see if I'm right. Onto the bonfire it goes. (zero)
Bless Me, Ultima has gotten itself a lot of attention over the past decade or so. It seems like every time the book makes it onto a school reading list, someone, somewhere, challenges it. (It's ironic that the book also landed on Laura Bush's list of the ten best novels for people of all ages, since the ones who challenge books are oftentimes the same ones who follow mindless, slavish devotion to the Bush regime.) That's the sort of thing that attracts me like a fly to honey, because no one ever challenges books for the right reasons. When it comes right down to it, there's only one right reason to challenge a book on a school's reading list: because it's a bad book. I'm sure there's someone out there who would say of people who challenge books because they have “bad language” or “champion the homosexual agenda” or are in some way “explicit” that they're doing what they believe in their heart to be the right thing, and so are honorable. I'm not one of those people. I think they should all be rounded up and carted off to form their own community in Kansas, where they can all be on the school board and choose all the books in the school library to make sure nothing offensive ever passes the eyes (and minds) of their beloved oversheltered rats. (It would make a great social experiment, too, and the parents' heads would explode when their kids still managed to discover sex and profanity without ever once having read Catcher in the Rye. But I digress.) In any case, I have found it very rare that these two conflicting reasons for trying to get a book out of the hands of the nation's school students intersects. But, after eleven months of trying to stomach this dog, I confess that this is one of those times. I do think this book should be kept away from schoolchildren. Not because of any explicit content; I must not have gotten far enough to find the offending scene(s) (or the parents of today are even more sensitive than I berate them for being). Just because it's the kind of book that a kid gets assigned in school, suffers through, hates, and then takes one more step down the path to abandoning reading because it's such a damnable chore. If I'd have had to stomach this in high school, I might have ended up feeling the same thing. Nothing of any consequence whatsoever happens during the portion of this book I read (and I admit that I used the strictest possible interpretation of the fifty-page rule on this one). We get so little character development that there's no justifying of nothing happening during the portion of this book I read. And it lacks entirely the readability that would have kept me going past fifty pages despite having no character development or plot advancement. I find myself wondering what on earth those first fifty pages were for, and why some merciful editor didn't make massive cuts to them. I'm sure that any information that would later become useful could have been distilled into a tenth of the space. But I'm not to put myself through, extrapolating from the time I've already spent trying to make myself read this, another three and a half years to see if I'm right. Onto the bonfire it goes. (zero)
September 11, 2022
This book is often banned from school libraries so I was always curious to read it. This is Banned Books Month, which I am celebrating in my Little Free Library, so I wanted to carve out time for a reading. Having done so, I can’t for the life of me imagine why Bless Me, Última would be the focus of so much opprobrium.
It is the story of young Antonio Márez, living in a small New Mexico town in the 1940s, the son of a laborer. During the book he ages from six to eight. It is clearly not a book for six- to eight-year-olds, though; the writing and the subject matter are more suited for tweens.
Antonio lives with his mother, father, and two sisters; three older brothers are off fighting in the war. They later come back and play brief roles in the story. The real focus is on Antonio’s experiences with family and school friends. It is not a prettified childhood; there’s swearing and brawling and notably he experiences several deaths, mostly violent.
Early in the story an elderly lady, Última, comes to live with the family. She is a curandera, a traditional healer, with traces of the shaman in her way of life. Última is universally kind and good, but her skills make her suspect, especially to those bent on doing harm. Periodically she is accused of witchcraft and threatened but always someone steps up to protect her (and she has some pretty good self-defense chops of her own).
Despite the title, the book isn’t primarily about Antonio’s relationship with Última, no matter how important that relationship is. It is about questioning and learning and growing from a child into a human being. It is full of magical elements, as any self-respecting children’s book ought to be, but also about the limits of magic as a way of life. Along the way, Antonio comes to doubt the limits of his Christian faith as it is conveyed to him in childish terms (he thought taking Communion would magically confer on him the wisdom of God and is disappointed when it proves more difficult than that); he also doubts the limits of other spiritual paths, and eventually learns to look to his own heart for strength and understanding, his outlook enriched by the multiple streams of tradition in his culture, Native, Spanish, and American.
Is it the violence or the swearing in the book that has led to its being so widely banned? Or the questioning of a simplistic, superstition-riddled version of Catholicism, which is all the young Antonio has access to? Or the portrayal of a shaman as a holy woman full of virtue? I am baffled.
While I would argue against the banning of such a book, I must also say that it is pretty clumsily written. The word usage is sometimes inaccurate, the tone uneven, and the transitions often awkward. But it is a vivid and exciting story rooted in genuine Southwest American tradition, and I suspect young readers would be more captivated than critical.
It is the story of young Antonio Márez, living in a small New Mexico town in the 1940s, the son of a laborer. During the book he ages from six to eight. It is clearly not a book for six- to eight-year-olds, though; the writing and the subject matter are more suited for tweens.
Antonio lives with his mother, father, and two sisters; three older brothers are off fighting in the war. They later come back and play brief roles in the story. The real focus is on Antonio’s experiences with family and school friends. It is not a prettified childhood; there’s swearing and brawling and notably he experiences several deaths, mostly violent.
Early in the story an elderly lady, Última, comes to live with the family. She is a curandera, a traditional healer, with traces of the shaman in her way of life. Última is universally kind and good, but her skills make her suspect, especially to those bent on doing harm. Periodically she is accused of witchcraft and threatened but always someone steps up to protect her (and she has some pretty good self-defense chops of her own).
Despite the title, the book isn’t primarily about Antonio’s relationship with Última, no matter how important that relationship is. It is about questioning and learning and growing from a child into a human being. It is full of magical elements, as any self-respecting children’s book ought to be, but also about the limits of magic as a way of life. Along the way, Antonio comes to doubt the limits of his Christian faith as it is conveyed to him in childish terms (he thought taking Communion would magically confer on him the wisdom of God and is disappointed when it proves more difficult than that); he also doubts the limits of other spiritual paths, and eventually learns to look to his own heart for strength and understanding, his outlook enriched by the multiple streams of tradition in his culture, Native, Spanish, and American.
Is it the violence or the swearing in the book that has led to its being so widely banned? Or the questioning of a simplistic, superstition-riddled version of Catholicism, which is all the young Antonio has access to? Or the portrayal of a shaman as a holy woman full of virtue? I am baffled.
While I would argue against the banning of such a book, I must also say that it is pretty clumsily written. The word usage is sometimes inaccurate, the tone uneven, and the transitions often awkward. But it is a vivid and exciting story rooted in genuine Southwest American tradition, and I suspect young readers would be more captivated than critical.
March 2, 2008
Reaction:
I thought that was a wonderfully creative novel. Also, I felt like I got lucky when I picked this from the A.P. God's reading list, beacuse it was a very moving book. Usually when I read a novel I tend to not finish them on account of a schedule filled with numerous other things. As for this book, I actually was engaged and determined to finish. As a whole the book was a rather quick one to finish and easy on the brain in terms of comprehension for following the stroy, plot, etc. earned 4 out of 5 stars and was an exciting novel to read.
Theme,Plot, etc:
The basis for this novel is faith. It is based on the life of a little mexican boy named Antonio, who is surrounded by a strict Spanish Catholic family and lifestyle. But things begin to change in Antnio's life when an old family friend, Ultima the curandera or healer, comes to stay with him and his family. Basically, Antonio has only seen life through the Catholic eye, but then Ultima who is seen as a witch and evil spirit, shows Antonio a different perspective on life. In a way she lays a grandmother figure role to him and uses her wisdom and knowledge to guide him. Also, when Antonio is going through bad times and violent things around him, Ultima shows him the light to find his way. Overall, the basis of the novel moved me as a reader and inspired me.
I thought that was a wonderfully creative novel. Also, I felt like I got lucky when I picked this from the A.P. God's reading list, beacuse it was a very moving book. Usually when I read a novel I tend to not finish them on account of a schedule filled with numerous other things. As for this book, I actually was engaged and determined to finish. As a whole the book was a rather quick one to finish and easy on the brain in terms of comprehension for following the stroy, plot, etc. earned 4 out of 5 stars and was an exciting novel to read.
Theme,Plot, etc:
The basis for this novel is faith. It is based on the life of a little mexican boy named Antonio, who is surrounded by a strict Spanish Catholic family and lifestyle. But things begin to change in Antnio's life when an old family friend, Ultima the curandera or healer, comes to stay with him and his family. Basically, Antonio has only seen life through the Catholic eye, but then Ultima who is seen as a witch and evil spirit, shows Antonio a different perspective on life. In a way she lays a grandmother figure role to him and uses her wisdom and knowledge to guide him. Also, when Antonio is going through bad times and violent things around him, Ultima shows him the light to find his way. Overall, the basis of the novel moved me as a reader and inspired me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2012
I lived in New Mexico for several years and recently moved away, but somehow I never read this book until now. It's a well-written, engaging story of a boy, Antonio, growing up in 1940's rural New Mexico with plenty of themes to think about (family, identity, religion, irreligion, growing up, even a bit of magic). I wish I had read it earlier!
September 10, 2023
Loved it from the first page. Utterly captivating writing.
December 31, 2012
I found this to be one of those books where the ending was stronger than the beginning. But it could also be argued that the narrator, Tony matured and thus the depth of his storytelling developed as well.
A quick trip to New Mexico prompted me to dust-off this shelf sitter. Glad I had it on hand. There's nothing like being able to mesh your reading with your vacation. Can't say I experienced Tony's culture, but I was certainly able to place myself in the setting and love that child character more. If only we could all have an elder like Ultima to provide us with their wisdom. And, if only all children were able to absorb their teachings as Tony did.
But, no. That's just not the way it is. Anaya's tale of good/evil struggle is grounded by Christian/Catholic belief, but encompasses the entire community. Tony is his mother's last chance for raising a child of the faith. The curandura Ultima is his chance to become a man of wisdom, whether religious or secular. And Tony is special. Tony symbolizes the potential in us all. But there are forces at work, forces beyond our control, evil threats that can only be overcome by methods beyond our human understanding. Only when Tony has grasped his father's hope, that he become a tender of plants, is he able to mature and face his future. To let go of Ultima and trust his own abilities.
This book is steeped both in Catholicism and Latino mysticism. It is also a boy's story - pecking order, fights, competition, loyalty, secrecy, etc. I couldn't relate to most of this but I recommend this to anyone who would.
A quick trip to New Mexico prompted me to dust-off this shelf sitter. Glad I had it on hand. There's nothing like being able to mesh your reading with your vacation. Can't say I experienced Tony's culture, but I was certainly able to place myself in the setting and love that child character more. If only we could all have an elder like Ultima to provide us with their wisdom. And, if only all children were able to absorb their teachings as Tony did.
But, no. That's just not the way it is. Anaya's tale of good/evil struggle is grounded by Christian/Catholic belief, but encompasses the entire community. Tony is his mother's last chance for raising a child of the faith. The curandura Ultima is his chance to become a man of wisdom, whether religious or secular. And Tony is special. Tony symbolizes the potential in us all. But there are forces at work, forces beyond our control, evil threats that can only be overcome by methods beyond our human understanding. Only when Tony has grasped his father's hope, that he become a tender of plants, is he able to mature and face his future. To let go of Ultima and trust his own abilities.
This book is steeped both in Catholicism and Latino mysticism. It is also a boy's story - pecking order, fights, competition, loyalty, secrecy, etc. I couldn't relate to most of this but I recommend this to anyone who would.
January 19, 2017
This is a beautifully written coming of age story that I listened to as an unabridged audiobook. I don’t typically seek out this sort of book but the blurbage from the SYNC program caught my eye last summer and, well, it was free and I'm all about the free.
I regret reading many a book but my only regret here is that it took me a full year to actually take the time to listen to Bless Me, Ultima. It tells the story of a young boy named Antonio (Tony) whose family takes in an elder named Ultima, as is their tradition. Ultima takes young Tony under her wing and shares with him all of her knowledge about herbs and healing and introduces to him a world of mysticism that is at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Antonio is a smart little boy and soaks up the knowledge but he struggles with his mother’s desire for him to make her proud and become a priest. As the years pass, Tony experiences all life’s joy and pain with Ultima always nearby to help him make sense of the world.
Every now and then I need a break from all of the horror and romance and this book was the perfect choice. The writing is very descriptive, even slightly poetic at times, and the lovely prose lends itself to audio quite nicely. I highly recommend this version read by Robert Ramirez. His narration is fantastic and adds so much depth to the experience. 4 ½ Stars
I regret reading many a book but my only regret here is that it took me a full year to actually take the time to listen to Bless Me, Ultima. It tells the story of a young boy named Antonio (Tony) whose family takes in an elder named Ultima, as is their tradition. Ultima takes young Tony under her wing and shares with him all of her knowledge about herbs and healing and introduces to him a world of mysticism that is at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Antonio is a smart little boy and soaks up the knowledge but he struggles with his mother’s desire for him to make her proud and become a priest. As the years pass, Tony experiences all life’s joy and pain with Ultima always nearby to help him make sense of the world.
Every now and then I need a break from all of the horror and romance and this book was the perfect choice. The writing is very descriptive, even slightly poetic at times, and the lovely prose lends itself to audio quite nicely. I highly recommend this version read by Robert Ramirez. His narration is fantastic and adds so much depth to the experience. 4 ½ Stars
December 31, 2018
Are you a good witch or a bad witch ... which? This beautiful book is about rejecting the binaries we cling to, and opening up to the nuanced mystery that is life. The argument for nuance begins with a bang. When Lupito shoots the sheriff, Antonio's father and Narciso both argue for a more complex, open-ended empathy — or at least due process — for him. But a swift and definitive vigilante justice prevails. We like easy, eye for an eye equations where murderers get what they deserve. But this is a veteran suffering PTSD. Is eye for an eye ever really simple? No, says this book, it is not. Our Antonio is pushed and pulled by binary choices a bunch. Is he destined to become a wandering, nature-loving cowboy man, per his father's Márez heritage? Or is he to be a rooted-down farmer priest and community leader, like his mother's powerful Luna clan? Antonio's coming of age involves heavy contemplation on ways both can be true. How we can rue the closing of the west, yearn for adventure, and long to revel in the beauty of the here and now — and at the same time, how we can be motivated to honor tradition, labor to promote health and welfare, and pile up resources against an uncertain future. The moon is a weighty constant. The sea is in constant motion. But the more subtle truth is that one's gravity makes waves in the other. Yin and yang, always parted yet always connected. Ultima begins to show Antonio a way to see through binary traps. The curandera way walks between worlds of nature and spirituality to embrace a more nuanced truth. To accept the cyclical nature of all things. To recognize the interconnection of all things. She teaches Antonio that what's important is to take responsibility for all you do within the web of life. When you need a plant's healing power, you take it's life. But in doing so, you recognize the damage you do, consciously articulating your reasons for removing a living thing from the earth. To own the actions you take in the world is to recognize the connectedness of the world — and to ultimately accept that good and bad depend on point of view. Ultima is a curandera, not a bruja — but the difference may be a matter of perspective. Perspectives change. The "samenesses" we try to create within a changing world are merely anchors of our own invention. We need them, but even as we need them, our needs change. And so, even our anchors must be in motion. In truth, the moon is a huge and solid constant, but even this anchor is in motion — and as it moves, it spurs motion in the sea. Motion is life. Non-motion is death. Antonio begins to see that things change as you change. The Vitamin Kid never loses a race, until the day he refuses to run. That's the day he prioritizes another human being above his quest for the glory of winning ALWAYS. The reality is that our need for ALWAYS is the real issue. Antonio seems to have to choose between branches of his family, which rests on choosing between the eternal god of the church and the ephemeral beauty of the here and now. But to purport faith in god without question or doubt is to reject motion, to reject life. In essence, to abdicate your responsibility, your perspective, to the church is to believe in magic — to reject change and worship constants, to fall under the thrall of ALWAYS — and to become inflexible. Whereas to practice natural magic is to accept responsibility for yourself, to grapple with ongoing questions of perspective, to embrace change, and to reject the artifice of human control over destiny. Antonio is a watcher who notices artifice, and questions until he finds his non-binary reality. He makes his family proud during a visit to the Lunas farms, and is invited back to labor with them, anytime. In effect, he has transcended the Luna-Márez binary. He can participate in both worlds, eternal vows not required. Somehow, he evades the fear that if he doesn't commit, the Lunas' way will die out. He is able to accept that it will certainly change over time, but believe that it will never truly die. Just as Ultima tells him that she will die, and yet be with him. This is the ultimate human reality. Our lives are finite, but our interconnections are infinite. Our impacts on others let us live on beyond physical life. No matter if we are good, evil, or somewhere in between, our actions will influence those lives that we touch — and those we touch directly will in turn mark those who come after. This is how we weave the web of life. The only question is what ripples, rents, or strong weavings will we leave for others? The best answer may be an ability to appreciate the eternal non-binary mystery of this world. Acceptance of life's mysteries leads to optimism, ongoing attempts to foster more flexible connections, and celebration of those connections that endure despite life's waves. Despair leads to over-reaching attempts to control the flow of life, of destiny — to come out always on top. This is the way of imbalance, and imbalance is the only thing truly against god. The open west may have been nearer to god, in the free flow of life — into which the Márez brought a certain kind of destruction, control, and a certain wish for things to never change. The closing of the west brought near total destruction of vaquero culture, but not total. The free flow of life can never be fully subverted. As well, it also created longstanding new cultures and communities, like those that empower the Lunas. At the time of the book, members of both the Márez or Luna family are pained by the fact that all cultures are in a constant state of change. Forget whether Antonio will be a vaquero or a farmer-priest. Will he remain a child of the Llano, or will he become an American? What is right and who is wrong? And is Ultima a witch or not? I generally don't like women being condemned as witches. Here, we didn't want Ultima to be judged a witch and killed for it. But, we are supposed to root for Ultima's witchery over the evil of the Trementino sisters’ magic. I struggled with this. I mean, Ultima's efforts save a member of Antonio’s family, but kill off members of another's family. Why is their act evil and Ultima's good? What inspired the Trementino witchery? Maybe they had their reasons. I get that Ultima's nature-knowledge could be used to enhance life, to sustain health, to maintain connection. This is the curandera way. But Ultima says that if her powers are used to subvert destiny — the bruja way — then the "balance" becomes off kilter and will need to be redressed. Turning and returning. Change is the only constant. The fact of our being caught up in, and vulnerable to, the web of life is the only truth. So, when Ultima saved the Uncle's life, that was messing with destiny. Wasn’t it also messing with destiny that an evil spell made the Uncle sick in the first place? The Uncle purportedly went into a grove of trees, an evil place, where the Trementino sisters were practicing their weird craft, dancing with the devil. But were they? Did he, in fact, wrong them or rape them or something? Because ... if not, then why was it not a subversion of his destiny for him to become ill at their hands? It seems to me that if his destiny was to suffer at their hands, then it must be because he did something wrong that made him deserve his destiny. But, but, but! Deserving a destiny is a church god concept, not a fish god one. A bruja concept, not a curandera one. We don't get what we deserve. We do what we do based on our perspective on the world, and we must take responsibility for our perspectives. The Trementino clan practiced as inflexible a bid for control over human destiny as the most devout church member — they wanted to keep themselves always on top, to guarantee eternal reward. Whereas Ultima rejects the entire concept of eternity, unless it is the eternity of natural cycles. She acted in consciousness of her responsibility, remaining open to the need for balance. We swim our way through a constantly changing array of nuances, gravitational pulls, and growth opportunities. All we can hope to be is mindful of our motivations, conscious of the ways our actions serve our needs and impact the needs of others — in ways both good and bad. There is no good witch or bad witch. There is only the mysterious interconnection of all things and all beings for all time.
July 29, 2020
This is the story of a young, first-generation Mexican boy in the mid-1940s. As he navigates school yard bullies and parental dreams, his mother’s Catholic faith and the ancient religious beliefs of his ancestors, curses, witches, adult vengeance, death and the universal questions of goodness, suffering and God, he begins the process of moving into adulthood. I think I would have enjoyed this more had I read it as a young adolescent.
September 9, 2024
300 straight pages of catholic guilt
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