big read

•



This year's National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read sponsored locally by the YWCA and the Knox County Public Library is now underway.

Everyone is encouraged to read Bless Me, Ultima by Chicano author Rudolfo Anaya.

The novel takes place in New Mexico just after World War II and follows the maturation of grade-schooler Antonio, the youngest son in the Márez family. As Tony comes-of-age, he witnesses several tragic events and is forced to deal with complicated moral issues, filtered through cultural, religious and family influences. He is also pressured to choose between the agrarian, devout heritage of his mother and the largely lawless, violent "cowboy" ways of his father's ancestry.

Along the way, young Tony meets Ultima, a "curandera" or herbal healer, who is accompanied by an all-seeing owl. Through his relationship with Ultima and close friends Samuel and Cico, Tony discovers simplicity and a oneness with nature, free of value judgments and the beauty of not living in the past, but in the here and now.

Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson would have applauded his choice.

As part of the month-long exploration of the book, Peg Beute and I will be leading an owl prowl at Ijams Nature Center tonight at 7:30 PM.

Will we find any "all-seeing" owls, either real or mythical? To find out, call 577-4717, ext. 10 to register for the program.








"Bless Me, Ultima" by Chicano author Rudolfo Anaya.








•