Rise, Do Not Be Afraid

by Aaron A. Abeyta

Fiction. Embedded in the novel's winding tales, memory and dreams mingle and sing, asking us to question our preconceptions about history--whose version becomes truth? Spanning decades and generations, RISE, DO NOT BE AFRAID serves as social commentary and is a lyric, fervent prayer for redemption in a time when there is urgent need for both. "Abeyta's language is tender and prophetic, his characters made of fragrant cedars and holy myth. To read this book is to enter a time and place where newborn children with psychic tongues drift in dreams, a space that defies language and the notion that la vida is a linear ride. His words shift and rush, from solid ice to silent rivulets, shaping, with steady calculation, the canyon of his people's history"--Tim Hernandez.

172 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a Southwestern love story that honors the land and the people of Santa Rita. Abeyta fills his novel with metaphor, song, and lyrical prose, enfolding the place and the traditions of its people into a melody of longing.

[Professor Von · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Abeyta’s ability to be poetic throughout an entire novel. I will forever be tied to the idea that we are made up of choices; some in which other people make and the ones we make throughout life. Read this book!!!!

[Mackay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyrical, but not sure the time-line twisting works as well here as it did for another book about the modern West called The Meadow. But a heartfelt series of connected stories about the Hispanic mountain southwest (Colorado, not Az or NM or TX).