Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
literary fiction?
pg. 1-38

Antonio Marez recalls when he was 6 years old and Ultima, an elderly healer came to live with him and his family. The day before her arrival, Antonio has a dream about the day he was born. His mother's side of the family wanted him to be a priest and a Luna like the rest of them, but his father's side of the family wants him to be a vaquero like them. However, Ultima arrives and declares that only she will know the fate of Antonio. Ultima arrives with her owl though. She quickly adjusts to their daily life, helping out with everyone in the house. Her and Antonia soon become close friends. On their walk one day, Antonio begins to hear the voice of the river, and his family will no longer be in peaceful isolation. However, his friend Jason's dad, Chavez, arrives hectically because Lupito has just shot and killed his brother. All the men of the area set off in search for Lupito, and Antonio follows. Antonio sees Lupito hiding in the river with a pistol, but he soon runs off when the search party sees him there. They finally catch Lupito, who begs for Antonio's blessing while he's dying. Frightened, he returns home scared, until he realizes that Ultima's owl had been with him the entire time. When Antonio awakes, he wonders about Lupito and his soul, whether he'll be in heaven or in hell. Meanwhile, he listens to his parents quarrel about religion, like every Sunday morning. After long arguments, Antonio's mother, Maria, expresses her hope that Antonio becomes a priest in order to spare him of the corruption of life. The family goes to church however, and many people are dresses, mourning the casualties of World War II they are facing.

So far, a lot has been going on in the book. It's very controversial because it deals with lots of religious aspects. I'm enjoying it though. I'm excited to continue it and see what happens with Antonio's future.