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
Un romanzo molto riflessivo, pieno di azione ma anche di intuizione. E' ambientato in un villaggio del New Mexico. Antonio è un ragazzino che si troverà ad assistere a terribili vicende e Ultima, che lo guiderà, è una Curandera, depositaria di una cultura in pericolo. In pericolo come l'umanità, quando perde buon senso e saggezza, quando perde la capacità di ringraziare ciò di cui beneficia e lo distrugge. La vera spiritualità, in grado di condurre le anime verso la consapevolezza e "il bene comune" è quella che impara dalle esperienze, non è assoggettata a religione costiutuita alcuna, non è istituzionalizzata, ma una forma spontanea e tramandata perchè insegnata, trasmessa, e suggerita da sempre dal mondo naturale che segue cicli e meccanismi di autoconservazione. L'incontro e lo scontro tra due "mentalità", due approcci che potrebbero convivere se non per la smania di alcuni di prevalere, e di sfruttare e prosciugare le risorse. Una realtà sociale che dietro la sua apparenza svela i meccanismi e racconta attraverso esperienze vissute le contraddizioni di uno status socio-culturale da tempo costituito, accettato e indiscutibile, in relazione ad un ricco e dimenticato passato, che ha ancora molto da insegnare. Il vento assiste a ciò che accade, quando c'è violenza e quando c'è pace. Il vento è lo spirito che conduce alla memoria, che si muove tra un personaggio e l'altro, e finchè Ultima vive, e i suoi insegnamenti sono stati recepiti, la civetta vola. Ma Ultima è molto anziana...Alcune parti significative estratte dal testo:Ultima mi restò sempre accanto, attenta ad ogni mia svolta nel procedere di quel terribile viaggio.Fu una lunga notte, in cui gli incubi calpestavano la mia mente invasa dalla febbre come cavalli selvaggi. [...]E ancora risuonarono le risate dalle fiamme. -Stupido bambino, non vedi che ti sei messo in trappola da solo! Ti piacerebbe avere un dio che perdona tutti, ma quando si tratta dei tuoi capricci cerchi castigo per vendicarti. Ti piacerebbe che mia madre governasse sul mio cielo, le manderesti tutti i peccatori per trovare perdono, ma vorresti anche che si sporcasse le mani con il sangue della vendetta...La vendetta appartiene a me!, gridò. Nemmeno un dio come la tua carpa dorata rinuncerebbe a tale potere!"-Quando furono coperti di sangue la legarono a un palo, le attraversarono il cuore con un piolo e le diedero fuoco. Andarono al fiume e catturarono la carpa che ci nuotava, e portarono via il pesce e lo cucinarono al calore delle ceneri di Ultima. E mangiarono le carni della carpa. Poi la terra rimbombò come un tuono e si aprì un enorme crepaccio. [...]Pensavo molto a Dio e al perchè lasciava che succedessero cose del genere. Forse, pensavo, Dio non si era accorto che si stava commettendo un omicidio ed ecco perchè non aveva punito Tenorio. Forse Dio aveva troppo da fare, in cielo per preoccuparsi o prendersi cura di noi. [...]Animali, pensai. I pesci della carpa dorata erano più felici di noi? La carpa dorata era un dio migliore?"Papà", domandai, "la gente dice che è la bomba che fa soffiare così il vento...". Stavamo trasportando i mucchi di concime che avevamo raccolto ripulendo i recinti degli animali durante l'inverno, e li scaricavamo in giardino. Mio padre rise."E' una sciocchezza", disse."Ma allora perchè le tempeste sono così forti, e piene di polvere?"", domandai."Sul llano è così", disse, "e il vento è la voce del lano". Ci parla, ci dice che qualcosa non va nel verso giusto". Chino sul suo lavoro, si raddrizzò e guardò le colline ondulate. Ascoltava, e ascoltai anch'io, e riuscii quasi a sentire il vento che mi parlava."Il vento dice che il llano ci ha dato una buona stagione, ci ha dato inverni miti e pioggia in estate per far crescere l'erba alta. I vaqueros sono usciti a cavallo e hanno visto il loro bestiame moltiplicarsi; le greggi e le mandrie sono cresciute. Tutti erano felici, ah", sussurrò, "il llano può essere il più bel posto del mondo...ma può essere anche il più crudele. Cambia, come cambia una donna. I ricchi rancheros hanno prosciugato la terra coi loro pozzi profondi, e allora dovevano venire le pesanti nevicate per restituire l'acqua alla terra. Gli uomini avidi hanno sfruttato troppo i pascoli dei loro ranch, e così ora il vento raccoglie il terreno inaridito e glie lo getta in faccia. Mi avete usata troppo, dice il vento in nome della terra, mi avete disseccata e denudata...E' solo quando un uomo invecchia e rifiuta di ammettere il suo legame con la terra e la sua dipendenza da madre natura che il potere di madre natura gli si rivolta contro e lo distrugge, come la forza del vento spezza un albero vecchio e secco. Non è da uomini dare la colpa dei nostri errori alla bomba, o a qualunque altra cosa [...]".[...]Sorrise e disse: "Un uomo saggio ascolta la voce della Terra, Antonio. Ascolta, perchè la stagione che porta il vento sarà la sua salvezza o la sua distruzione. Come un giovane albero si inchina al vento, così un uomo deve inchinarsi alla terra [...]"."Ay, ogni generazione, ognni uomo è legato al proprio passato. Non può sfuggirgli, ma può rinnovare il vecchio materiale, dar vita a qualcosa di nuovo..."
What do You think about Bless Me, Ultima (1999)?
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.
—Joseph
Every summer (since I started blogging) I go to Audiobooksync to download free audiobooks. Most of the audiobooks are classics like this one. I have to say that I never heard of it and I was surprised to find an audiobook of an author of color on their list last year. Yes, it has taken me almost a year to get to this one.Bless Me, Ultima is the story of 6 year old Tony told through by his older self. The book starts off when Ultima his maternal grandmother comes to live with him and his family. The author sets the story in the 1940's New Mexico in a very small rural town surrounded by water. Ultima is special, she is not a witch, but everyone in town thinks she is since she cures the sick with herbs and magic of course.This audiobook was extremely slow to me. I started it several months ago and just could not get into it at all. Listening to the narrator with his painfully long pauses made it hard to follow the story without having my mind wander off. Once I changed the audiobook setting from 1.0 speed to 1.5 speed the audiobook was so much easier for me to follow. The pace and the randomness of Tony's thoughts, dreams and conversations kind of felt awkward to me since he is a young child.I have to say that I was taken back by the grand, and deep thoughts of this 6 year old boy whose family thinks he was born special. Tony has very deep thoughts about God, religion and spirituality for his age. These thoughts and questions seem to be from the man telling the story and not from the boy in the story. What 6 year old boy would spend his summer contemplating the meaning of God? I understand the time period was different, but I just could not see this happening at all.The bond between Tony and Ultima is nice, and I love the way she talks to him unlike the other characters around him. Most of the children had a tendency to talk down to him or bully him throughout the book. I also love how this book looks into the Mexican family, religion, culture. But overall, I was disappointed in the pace the audiobook took. I think if the narrator read the book at a faster pace with fewer pauses, the audiobook would be 10 hours long instead of 11 hours.
—Alysia
I read “Bless me, Utltima” as part of the Big Read going on in my city. As a naturalist, I enjoyed the natural thread that runs through the book. The novel's story line 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 ages, he witnesses several tragic events and is forced to deal with complicated moral issues. He also must choose between the agrarian, devout heritage of his mother and the largely lawless, violent "cowboy" ways of his father's family.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 others, Tony discovers simplicity, 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.
—Stephen
