New Book Alert: American Tumbleweeds by Marta Elva

American Tumbleweeds by Marta Elva

Paperback & e-book, 298 pages

Circling Rivers

Published: May 10, 2016

ISBN: 1939530016

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

Book Blurb:

Set along the border between El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico, American Tumbleweeds tells the bittersweet story of a Mexican-American family’s struggle to stay together as tradition collides with the social upheaval of 1960s America.

Inez’s family threatens to fly apart when her father gets arrested smuggling marijuana into the U.S. Inez finds refuge from the turmoil in the old ways cherished by her beloved Mexican grandmother. But life in El Paso is far more exciting, as the explosion of rock music and new personal freedom shatter traditions on both sides of the border.

American Tumbleweeds captures poignantly the growing pains of a young girl and of all immigrant families whose dual cultural identities lend them both strength and strife. From Amalia, the matriarchal grandmother, to Inez, woman-child of the 1960s, these “American tumbleweeds” portray every family: loving and clinging, wounding each other deeply while comforting each other in the soul-deep ways that only families can reach.

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Praise for American Tumbleweeds:

"With AMERICAN TUMBLEWEEDS Marta Elva pulls us into the minds of a half-dozen members of a border family in crisis, dramatizing the state of living ni aqui, ni alla—neither here nor there geographically and emotionally. A moving first novel." — John Sayles, film director, author, and MacArthur fellow

"The aptly named AMERICAN TUMBLEWEEDS depicts the balancing act some bi-cultural families must undertake to live in America. The characters indeed “tumble” back and forth over our southernmost border, forced to live in two worlds at once. This is an experience all Americans should know about." — Sonia Manzano, author of Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx

"AMERICAN TUMBLEWEEDS is an engrossing, enlightening portrayal of life along the Mexican–American border in the late 1960s. Marta Elva’s sensitive insights draw a straight line to family and societal issues in today’s headlines."   — Annamaria Alfieri, author of the critically-acclaimedStrange Gods

"Marta Elva’s debut novel, AMERICAN TUMBLEWEEDS, provides an engaging look at the human cost of the turbulent 1960s along the Mexican-American border. Deftly conveyed through the eyes of an innocent and vulnerable fourteen-year-old girl and her family, this well-written saga could just as easily reflect contemporary times. It is insightful, timely, and rich with meaning." ­  — Pam Webber, author of The Wiregrass 

"Marta Elva has written a coming-of-age novel that perfectly captures the feel, fear, fun and uncertainty of the late 1960s.  I was hooked on this delightful story from the very first page. And the characters stayed with me long after the final word."  — Melanie Payne, columnist “Tell Mel,” The News-Press, Ft. Myers, FL

"Marta Elva’s AMERICAN TUMBLEWEEDS is both a moving coming-of-age story and a compelling tale of border intrigue that goes back in time to give a human face to some of the most divisive and hotly debated issues facing contemporary America. Elva shows an uncanny knack for dialogue and plot as in each chapter she moves back and forth among her characters, unrolling the narrative through each individual’s unique point of view." — Michael Winship, senior writer, Moyers & Company, PBS

 
About Marta Elva:

Marta Elva was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and raised in El Paso, Texas. Her career as a writer, producer, editor, and camera operator in television and independent film spans over three decades and includes several Emmy-nominated shows, notably PBS WNET New York’s Setting the Stage. She and her husband live on Florida’s Gulf Coast.



 


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