Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo Anaya
literary fiction?
pg. 39-82

Antonio's summer is ending and he is getting closer to starting school. He still goes on walks with Ultima very often to collect herbs from the llano (the grassland). Ultima expresses her love of the llano to Antonio, who has grown to feel the same as her. Antonio is also getting ready to go visit his uncles on his mother's side. He is going to help with the harvest as he does every year to keep him close to his grandfather and his uncles. Same as every night, Antonio and his family prays before the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In his dream that night, Antonio sees the Virgin talking to his mother, reassuring her that her brothers will return home safely from the war. But when she asks to make Antonio a priest, the Virgin appears to be wearing clothes of mourning, causing Antonio to cry out in his sleep, when Ultima comes to comfort him. However, soon Antonio and his siblings and his mother go to see his uncle and help out with the harvest. His uncle encourages his mother to send Antonio to them for a summer so that he could be saved. In the fall, Antonio began school, where kids made fun of him for not speaking English and eating green chili in tortillas for lunch. He found kids similar to himself to spend time with. In the winter, Antonio's brothers arrive home safely from the war, where they sleep all day and spend all of their money on alcohol and women. His brothers urge him to enter Rosie's brothel, but he resists because he might become a priest one day. At school though, Antonio has been promoted from kindergarten to third grade already.

The book continues to deal with a lot of religion. I don't mind it though, I enjoy learning and observing what others think about religion. I admire Antonio for resisting the influence of his brothers though. I know that would be hard, but he knows what his future might possibly bring.