Hooked on YA books 2015 discussion

Tony connects most strongly with spirituality in this book. He leans more to the contemplative, educated side of the family than the raucous wanderers on his father's side. But there is a dilemma that he is constantly worried about at this point -- who is "correct", the Catholic Church, or the more intuitive, naturalistic Ultima? Other characters, like his friend Cico sense things, and live very much in the natural world. Cico shows him the golden carp, and Tony is amazed, but definitely in a predicament. He's supposed to be a priest to make his mother happy...and Ultima has taken him under her wing. He's so young, and so literal in his understanding of the church. It's very interesting to watch him question what's happening around him. Maybe by the end of the book he will come to the conclusion that it's all part of the same thing....

"Bless Me, Ultima" is all about intercultural awareness. With the help of Ultima, Tony awakens another side of his identity - his Native American heritage - and gracefully reconciles it with his Christian heritage. Ultima teaches Tony how to be conscious of these two seemingly conflicting ideologies and how they can live harmoniously. "Intercultural"consciousness, for Tony, is not limited to just religion. When Tony witnesses Lupito's death and the ensuing manhunt, he becomes aware (arguably at far too young an age) of the inevitability of death - something, perhaps, most children don't dwell on, certainly not in the philosophical and deep way Tony does. In this way, the "cultures" of adulthood and childhood are fused for Tony and he becomes aware of what it means to be an adult while he is still a child.

Bless Me, Ultima is the story of Tony – a young boy who shifts between several cultural worlds (Spanish, Mexican, Native American, Catholic, Indigenous beliefs, not to mention his roles as a son, a friend, and apprentice to name just a few). He is pulled in several directions throughout the novel and he wrestles with what he perceives these black and white conflicts of being. He must choose who to be and what to believe, but he comes to realize that things aren’t as black and white as they may first appear – that morality has shades of grey as do our identity categories. Tony presents his curiosity about the world and its relations in the form of questions – many of which are attempted to be answered by Ultima who tries to guide him in developing his morality, ethics, values, and beliefs. Tony thinks, initially, that Communion will give him a singular answer to many of his questions, but he finally finds that there is no such thing as a singular answer to many of his contemplations.