The night that my father burned his house down, well, I was just beginning to gather newspaper clippings and notes for my novel. . . . Petra Leyva has begun to write a novel about the Sanctuary Movement when she hears that her widowed, womanizing father has set fire to his house in a drunken rage. Overwhelmed by family memories, Petra begins a journey of introspection that leads her to explore what "sanctuary" really means to present-day Chicanas. Petra learns there are various types of sanctuaries—not only those aiding Central America refugees but also less obvious safe havens for the weak, the ill, the elderly, the poor. Universities are sanctuaries to which the young can flee in search of a better life. There are psychological sanctuaries where victims of sexual abuse or other forms of injustice can find relief from their private anguish. And as Petra discovers, writing itself is a form of sanctuary. By depicting the strength of Petra and other Chicanas, Margarita Cota-Cárdenas addresses the complexities of life in an important period of time for the development of Chicana/o consciousness. As her characters grapple with issues of family, abuse, and loss, they combine the traits of saints and devils, heroes and villains to show that the representation of life is as complex as life itself. Sanctuaries of the Heart is a rich mosaic in which narrative techniques mimic the act of remembrance, a confluence of streams of consciousness that challenges canons of language and form.

Sanctuaries of the Heart / Santuarios del Corazón: A novella in English and Spanish

Literature & Fiction

Cota-Cárdenas, Margarita

United States

University of Arizona Press

Puppet: A Chicano Novella

Originally published in Spanish and now in its first bilingual edition, Puppet is a complex, challenging, and ultimately compelling narrative. It tells the story of Petra (Pat) Leyva and how she comes to terms with the murder of Puppet, a Chicano youth, and the subsequent police cover-up. Already an underground classic, Puppet will appeal to readers interested in the politics of the Chicano movement and in racial and feminist politics in the United States. The bilingual edition will be welcomed by professors who teach American Studies, Chicano Studies, and Chicana literature.
 "Breaches not only new but unique directions in the Chicano novel."--Francisco A. Lomelí, University of California, Santa Barbara
 "They will be talking about Puppet for years to come."--Juan Rodríguez, Texas Lutheran University

University of New Mexico Press

Am Brown Chicano Dist

Marchitas De Mayo (Sones Pa'L Pueblo)

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Books by Cota-Cárdenas, Margarita