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American Tumbleweeds
Inez’s family threatens to split in two when her father gets arrested smuggling marijuana into the U.S. The old ways cherished by her beloved Mexican grandmother offer refuge from the turmoil. But life in El Paso is far more exciting, as mini-skirts, rock music, and the sexual revolution shatter tradition on both sides of the border.
Poised between two countries and hovering at the divide of childhood and womanhood, her fractured family no longer providing safe ground, Inez must choose whether to make the dangerous leap her parents never quite made, the leap faced by every new letting go of the old country to embrace a new destiny in the United States.
Poised between two countries and hovering at the divide of childhood and womanhood, her fractured family no longer providing safe ground, Inez must choose whether to make the dangerous leap her parents never quite made, the leap faced by every new letting go of the old country to embrace a new destiny in the United States.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2016
3 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Marta Elva
1 book8 followersMarta 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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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 3, 2016
“Tragedy of condemning children to the consequences of their parents’ deeds.”
Compelling and heart breaking. An already-fragile family rips apart in the border-straddling communities of El Paso and Cuidad Juarez, isolating its youngest member at a vulnerable time of her life. Inez’s sad tale of paradise lost gains complexity and depth with the inclusion of her parents’ and grandparents’ struggles and often-cross-purposed help. Notable first novel.
“Children’s resilience soothes the soul and breaks the heart.”
A coming-of-age tale of a Mexican-American teen in the late 1960s. Elva strikes cultural chords which reverberate through the story. The 60s scrambled many values, loosening families and communities from traditional anchors. (I know, I lived two states and a universe away in 1966-68.) Straddling two cultures and an international border increases the confusion. Guilt—assumed and assigned—and forgiveness, or the lack of it, contributes to intergenerational conflict and misunderstanding.
“There is no such thing as innocent until proven guilty, not in the court of everyday people.”
Teens can ruin their lives almost before they’re start. The Dutch proverb “We grow too soon old and too late smart” is especially true of teens. They have insufficient experience and maturity to deal with bodies which mature before brains. And parents may unwittingly make matters worse, especially when engaged in intergenerational warfare which they seek to hide from the children. The choices you make, make you.
“The disgrace of having to protect children from the parents.”
Writing for English readers, Alva includes many Spanish expressions which the reader can usually decipher from context. Depending on the reader’s exposure to Spanish, that process occasionally throws the reader out of the flow. The reader must stay engaged to detect all the real and heart-breaking cross currents.
“Loving someone who resents you is torture.”
A family divided and partly defined but not predestined by an international border. Sometimes acting with the best intentions makes matters worse.
“If you’re going through hell keep going.” Winston Churchill
(Disclosure: I received this book free in exchange for my promise of an objective review.)
Compelling and heart breaking. An already-fragile family rips apart in the border-straddling communities of El Paso and Cuidad Juarez, isolating its youngest member at a vulnerable time of her life. Inez’s sad tale of paradise lost gains complexity and depth with the inclusion of her parents’ and grandparents’ struggles and often-cross-purposed help. Notable first novel.
“Children’s resilience soothes the soul and breaks the heart.”
A coming-of-age tale of a Mexican-American teen in the late 1960s. Elva strikes cultural chords which reverberate through the story. The 60s scrambled many values, loosening families and communities from traditional anchors. (I know, I lived two states and a universe away in 1966-68.) Straddling two cultures and an international border increases the confusion. Guilt—assumed and assigned—and forgiveness, or the lack of it, contributes to intergenerational conflict and misunderstanding.
“There is no such thing as innocent until proven guilty, not in the court of everyday people.”
Teens can ruin their lives almost before they’re start. The Dutch proverb “We grow too soon old and too late smart” is especially true of teens. They have insufficient experience and maturity to deal with bodies which mature before brains. And parents may unwittingly make matters worse, especially when engaged in intergenerational warfare which they seek to hide from the children. The choices you make, make you.
“The disgrace of having to protect children from the parents.”
Writing for English readers, Alva includes many Spanish expressions which the reader can usually decipher from context. Depending on the reader’s exposure to Spanish, that process occasionally throws the reader out of the flow. The reader must stay engaged to detect all the real and heart-breaking cross currents.
“Loving someone who resents you is torture.”
A family divided and partly defined but not predestined by an international border. Sometimes acting with the best intentions makes matters worse.
“If you’re going through hell keep going.” Winston Churchill
(Disclosure: I received this book free in exchange for my promise of an objective review.)
February 15, 2017
If fiction is all about getting in and out of trouble, "American Tumbleweeds" doesn't stint on the strife. Early in the book, Ramón, the family patriarch, is taken down by the FBI for smuggling marijuana. We watch the fallout wrecking everyone around him.
The author's background in film and TV is telling. Here the chapters are short and punchy, each narrated by a different character in the family. The constant shifts of viewpoint reminded me of telenovelas, with their jumpcuts and cliffhangers.
Overall, this is a blistering yet tender saga that describes what it's like to be in two worlds - Mexican and American - and to be at the edge of things. A great story brilliantly told.
(See https://jjawilson.wordpress.com/2017/... for full review)
The author's background in film and TV is telling. Here the chapters are short and punchy, each narrated by a different character in the family. The constant shifts of viewpoint reminded me of telenovelas, with their jumpcuts and cliffhangers.
Overall, this is a blistering yet tender saga that describes what it's like to be in two worlds - Mexican and American - and to be at the edge of things. A great story brilliantly told.
(See https://jjawilson.wordpress.com/2017/... for full review)
July 16, 2016
~Book reviewed for the Historical Novel Society~
1960s El Paso, Texas: When Inez Ramirez’s father is arrested for smuggling marijuana across the Mexico-U.S. border, her family nearly shatters as they deal with the repercussions. In this novel told in multi-person points of view, we get a firsthand glimpse of a simpler life in Mexico, the hardships of being a bicultural family in America, and a young girl who just wants the freedom to grow up and make her own decisions.
I enjoyed the blending of cultures in American Tumbleweeds, from ´60s era music and styles to the homey impression of Inez’s abuela’s home and traditions in Mexico. While discrimination of Latin Americans was certainly common in the period and present in the story, Elva doesn’t make it her focus. Inez’s story is that of any young girl—finding herself under the influence of peer pressure—but she faces the added challenge of not knowing where she truly belongs. Inez’s mother, Katalina, struggles to care for her family even as she’s accused of abandoning them, and Inez’s father, Ramón, can’t help feeling he’s failed those he loves most.
Spanish inflections and phrases are scattered through each chapter, lending authenticity to the characters and their world, although I found myself wishing for more emotion from them at times. But overall, this was a story about a family’s unique struggle, and it accomplished what it set out to do.
1960s El Paso, Texas: When Inez Ramirez’s father is arrested for smuggling marijuana across the Mexico-U.S. border, her family nearly shatters as they deal with the repercussions. In this novel told in multi-person points of view, we get a firsthand glimpse of a simpler life in Mexico, the hardships of being a bicultural family in America, and a young girl who just wants the freedom to grow up and make her own decisions.
I enjoyed the blending of cultures in American Tumbleweeds, from ´60s era music and styles to the homey impression of Inez’s abuela’s home and traditions in Mexico. While discrimination of Latin Americans was certainly common in the period and present in the story, Elva doesn’t make it her focus. Inez’s story is that of any young girl—finding herself under the influence of peer pressure—but she faces the added challenge of not knowing where she truly belongs. Inez’s mother, Katalina, struggles to care for her family even as she’s accused of abandoning them, and Inez’s father, Ramón, can’t help feeling he’s failed those he loves most.
Spanish inflections and phrases are scattered through each chapter, lending authenticity to the characters and their world, although I found myself wishing for more emotion from them at times. But overall, this was a story about a family’s unique struggle, and it accomplished what it set out to do.
April 30, 2016
I'm not a parent, but I think this realistic portrayal of the impact immigration has on a family would be a great book for mature young readers.
The story is told in a half dozen first person accounts by members of a Mexican-American family. Like the tumbleweeds of the title, the characters are caught up in the winds of change.
The book is set in 1967, a time of radical change in America itself. This cultural upheaval is reflected in the primary voice of fourteen-year-old Inez. She is a believable, typical teenage girl caught between the two worlds of Mexico and the U.S. On the one hand, Inez is succumbing to America, its rock and roll, its popular television shows, and its freer lifestyle for girls. Yet, she has bouts of longing for the simpler, kinder life she enjoyed in Mexico with her grandmother.
American Tumbleweeds is refreshingly free of political rhetoric. Instead, the author offers a clearly written and convincing story about the universal sorrows of a family breaking apart. For those who stay behind is the loss of the support of beloved children and grandchildren; for those who leave is the hard reality that dreams of a better life are not easily achieved.
My review is based on a complimentary copy of American Tumbleweeds provided by the publisher.
The story is told in a half dozen first person accounts by members of a Mexican-American family. Like the tumbleweeds of the title, the characters are caught up in the winds of change.
The book is set in 1967, a time of radical change in America itself. This cultural upheaval is reflected in the primary voice of fourteen-year-old Inez. She is a believable, typical teenage girl caught between the two worlds of Mexico and the U.S. On the one hand, Inez is succumbing to America, its rock and roll, its popular television shows, and its freer lifestyle for girls. Yet, she has bouts of longing for the simpler, kinder life she enjoyed in Mexico with her grandmother.
American Tumbleweeds is refreshingly free of political rhetoric. Instead, the author offers a clearly written and convincing story about the universal sorrows of a family breaking apart. For those who stay behind is the loss of the support of beloved children and grandchildren; for those who leave is the hard reality that dreams of a better life are not easily achieved.
My review is based on a complimentary copy of American Tumbleweeds provided by the publisher.
March 30, 2016
The book cover and premise drew me in to select this book to read. "Set along the border between El Paso, Texas, and JuArez, 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."
Several first person points of view killed the readability of this story. The beginning chapters were short and I didn't have enough info for me to either like the character or not like them (except for the father). In the first five chapters contained cliche's and the overuse of "I" as in "I got up...I did...I saw..." as the beginnings of paragraphs.
This is a novel I wanted to like, due to the themes. I thought I was in for a nice read because of the favorable blurbs but the execution of the story was much less than I expected. I could not finish reading beyond the 15% point, around Chapter 10.
If I was the publisher I'd revise the manuscript for better descriptors and flow. This was a NetGalley book which was given to me in exchange for a honest review.
Several first person points of view killed the readability of this story. The beginning chapters were short and I didn't have enough info for me to either like the character or not like them (except for the father). In the first five chapters contained cliche's and the overuse of "I" as in "I got up...I did...I saw..." as the beginnings of paragraphs.
This is a novel I wanted to like, due to the themes. I thought I was in for a nice read because of the favorable blurbs but the execution of the story was much less than I expected. I could not finish reading beyond the 15% point, around Chapter 10.
If I was the publisher I'd revise the manuscript for better descriptors and flow. This was a NetGalley book which was given to me in exchange for a honest review.
May 3, 2016
I received a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review and I am so glad that I did. American Tumbleweeds is a slice of life out of the 60's for a young girl and her family caught between two worlds. The US in El Paso Texas and Juarez Mexico. Marta did an excellent job of showing the conflict between two cultures and a family trying to cope with life and a family losing the father to crime. I grew up in the 60's and can relate to what Inez is going through. I recommend this book you will really enjoy and understand the characters!
July 30, 2016
Typically, I don't think I would have been compelled to pick this book up, but a friend had recommended it. I'm glad she did. This book took me to a time and place I'd never been. I really felt like I got to know the main character and was able to walk along side her through the story. The writer is so descriptive; I was easily able to visualize the settings in every chapter. When you feel like you're right there in the book, you know the author has written it well.
May 11, 2016
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the 1960s the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez cultural differences serve as a backdrop for this coming-of-age story. The decision to leave a strong family for a potentially better life makes for a difficult choice for Inez. Told through differing viewpoints, this is a powerful depiction of the ways in which a family can be split apart. The image of a tumbleweed is especially apt! Recommended.
Set in the 1960s the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez cultural differences serve as a backdrop for this coming-of-age story. The decision to leave a strong family for a potentially better life makes for a difficult choice for Inez. Told through differing viewpoints, this is a powerful depiction of the ways in which a family can be split apart. The image of a tumbleweed is especially apt! Recommended.
October 31, 2016
I met this author in an airport with my friend, Moo. It's her first book, but she has some interesting literary credentials... This is a "coming of age" book about a young Mexican-American girl growing up in Texas under difficult circumstances. I thought it was well told and enjoyed the format... and it's perfect for a certain age, but I don't know exactly what that age is. Although, I think anyone would enjoy reading it...
May 5, 2016
I received a free advance copy of this book in return for writing an unbiased review. This book is not only a fascinating look back at the culture of the 1960's and a coming of age tale, it is also a poignant reminder of how much alike we all are despite cultural and ethnic differences. I will definitely recommend this book to friends and family.
July 29, 2016
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaways winner. I really liked American Tumbleweeds. The author, Marta Elva, manages to evoke conflicting emotions for almost all of the characters! This ended really well, though. There is some Spanish littered throughout, but it won't affect the story if you don't understand it; although it may be annoying to some readers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews