The PCCPathways Program, Cross-Cultural Center, and Campus Diversity Initiative are proud to announce our 9th Annual One Book, One College selection, Little Nation & Other Stories by Alejandro Morales.

Alejandro Morales is a professor of Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine. He is also a fiction writer and has published seven novels and three novellas.

Little Nation & Other Stories by Alejandro Morales

鈥淚鈥檓 sick of you punks,鈥� Micaela said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 warning you now. I鈥檓 going to get you for that murder!鈥� In the title story, the Latino community in East L.A. suffers horrible gang-related violence, and the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl is the last straw for Micaela Clemencia, a local teacher. With the help of other women in the neighborhood, Micaela keeps her promise to punish the murderer. And much to the dismay of the police and other city officials, the women take control of the barrio, their 鈥渓ittle nation.鈥� 

While some characters face a violent world driven by greed, others long for a sense of belonging or a place to call their own. In 鈥淢ama Concha,鈥� a grandmother shares her ancient wisdom with her grandson, teaching him to appreciate the land and the fruits and vegetables she grows. In 鈥淭he Gardens of Versailles,鈥� a home with beautiful gardens is a local favorite, until it stands in the way of 鈥減rogress鈥� that will benefit the entire community. And in 鈥淧rickles,鈥� an artist who is a grotesque oddity because of the thorny tumors that sprout all over his body develops a special, unusual relationship with the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Alejandro Morales returns to his native Southern California community of Montebello in four of these five stories that examine identity and injustice. Originally written in Spanish, this compelling collection contains Adam Spires鈥� English translation of these thought-provoking stories, in which Morales explores the Chicano community鈥檚 marginalization and search for a space to call its own.

Copies are available for review in Shatford Library. Little Nation and Other Stories is an Open Educational Resource.