Los Sin Dios

by Ricardo Ignacio

The battle of a young indigenous American man who grows up like most other indigenous Americans suffering from the aftermath of ethnic cleansing, displacement, internalized racism, Stockholm syndrome, forced assimilation, and the ongoing colonialism that began in the year 1492.

The young man grows up with deep-rooted self-hatred, ashamed of his indigenous American roots--bleaching his hair, buying whitening creams, and using blue contact lenses--desperately attempting to erase all physical evidence of the obvious proof of who he is. Until, one day, his grandfather asks him why he hates himself so much and gives him an antique scroll written in the 1500s, which contains the root of where his problem of internalized racism began. The ancient scroll is written in Nahuatl, and the only way to learn Nahuatl is to return to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he was born and find someone that could teach him.

The question is does it matter enough to know what was written so long ago in an ancient language? And, if so, what will he discover? But, more importantly, what will he do with the information learned?

Genres: Indigenous

248 pages, Paperback

Published September 8, 2016

About the author

Ricardo Ignacio was born in Ejido Hermosillo, Mexico, to indigenous American parents from Guanajuato, Mexico, who migrated to Northern California where Ricardo Ignacio was raised.

He attended Ethel Phillips Elementary School and then graduated from Antelope Charter View High School after being expelled from several other High Schools including Ck McClatchy, American Legion, and Keema High School.

He went onto publish his first book "A Life Of Sin: Book One" on October 2013 at age 29 under AuthorHouse Publishing, and then in August of 2016 he published "Los Sin Dios" also under AuthorHouse.

His novels are based mostly on the struggles of indigenous Americans, specifically of Mexican descent.

Reviews

[Jesse Naumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and something I intend to allow my children to read and pass on to understand our collective indigenous roots.

[Maria Garcia-nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book

This was certainly an eye opening experience. Some of the story was a bit raw for my taste ,but you can't sugar coat reality. It answered many of my questions regarding my roots. So who's brave enough to make it into a movie?

[Nancy T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the intent of this book. The author did a great job of weaving historical accounts into a fictional piece told from a point of view that most of us have never heard of, nor have imagined before. I applaud that. It made me think about my own identity, the history I’ve been taught, and the suffering of my ancestors.

It’s difficult for me to say I enjoyed this book because there is a lot of violence. I don’t enjoy reading about the suffering of others, but I know it is necessary for sharing and spreading truth, especially in a society that’s been shaped to force you to forget the past and injustice. And it is undoubtedly great, great injustice. For this reason, the book made me incredibly sad, but it was influential and memorable, thought-provoking, and I appreciate the strength, wisdom, creativity, and bravery that went into weaving this story.

I did not appreciate that the story took a very strong masculine approach, hinting at the idea that Native American culture could be single-handedly changed by one individual. I didn’t enjoy the way the protagonist was always the “hero,” especially when it came to how he was the hero in all aspects, including being the one with money, to romance the character, and in the embedded story to fight against evil. The future of Native American culture is changed in a community, not in the single actions of one person. I believe the author missed an opportunity to foster the notion of community by always positioning the protagonist as the “savior” of the people.

Lastly, I felt the book could’ve detailed more realistic ways to overcome the past and point to noi a more harmonious future. I don’t believe the end goal is war, but the overcoming of egos and everything that it entails, like aggression, oppression, racism, and slavery. War has historically wiped out thousands of civilizations so we must work together to find and nurture our human connection, despite the injustices we’ve faced. Culture is one part of our identity, but as a collective, we are much, much more.