City-wide campaign to read “Bless Me, Ultima”
Readers of the best-selling Chicano novel “Bless Me, Ultima” will be able to watch the film adaptation this September.
To prepare for the premiere, El Paso is launching a city-wide reading campaign that will involved students, families and lovers of Hispanic literature.
Ultima is a healer living with the Martinez family during World War II in New Mexico. In the 1972 novel by Rudolfo Anaya, Ultima mentors and teaches young Anotonio about his heritage.
Over the decades readers have connected with the story that was initially ridiculed and eventually respected for adding Chicano narratives to American literature.
“It’s a good book to follow, its a good book to get immersed in and its a good book to start dialogue with other members of your family,” said President of CommUNITY en Accion.
The El Paso Library has acquired 800 copies of “Bless Me, Ultima “and is working with CommUNITY en Accion to motivate the entire city to read the book before its Sept. 21st premiere. They say the campaign will inspire the desire to read in children and adults.
“Those people participate in the community,” Olivas said. “They become participants in the arts and the culture. And that makes for a better community.”
KVIA.com will have prominent El Pasoans read excerpts from the book throughout the month. Check in next week to see our own Estela Casas read from the beloved novel.
