Sex As A Political Condition:
A Border Novel
“Out of the borderlands strides Honoré del Castillo, a jackass of all trades who just wants to do right by his family. This literary spoof of Mexican-American culture will have you questioning your own values.” Tom Miller, author of On the Border: Portraits of America’s Southwestern Frontier
“Flores’ ribald, satirical tale of one man’s attempt to do right amid political and cultural turmoil is rich in vivid descriptions of the borderlands’ rugged environment. A Spanglish glossary provides a guide to the fluid lexicon in this boldly comic borderland tale.” Diego Báez, Booklist
“His book is a black velvet painting of all things Mexican: a wrought-iron mariachi figure with bandoliers and a sombrero holding a shot of tequila, a Day of the Dead sugar skull and a picture of Frida Kahlo eating enchiladas. Breasts proliferate with reckless abandon. They bob and wiggle, they roll and pour, they spread like swirls of chocolate. They are compared to onions, tomatoes, mangoes, calabazas, gourds, scoops of ice cream, ivory pudding, flan, cupcakes, blow fish, boulders, boxing gloves, tulips, smooth mounds of Mexican cheese, B-52 bombers, twin puppies and vanilla malts topped with pink cherries. ¡Ay, Mamasota!” Melynda Nuss, The Texas Observer
“Sex as a Political Condition could be called a comedy of sorts, with commentary on the dangers and romance of Latin machismo and its kryptonite and muse, women. By the same turn, Flores’novel has elements of a farce, as it prods relentlessly at the narcissism of pseudo-revolutionary politics and the stereotypical alpha Latin male. But “Sex as a Political Condition” is also a love story, buoyed by the intrinsic bond of family and the fundamental happiness the family can provide.” Evan Rodriguez, American-Statesman
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Our House on Hueco
Ten-year-old Junior is thrilled and a bit nervous about moving from an El Paso barrio to the house his father has purchased in an Anglo part of town. His mother, who speaks only Spanish, is somewhat less thrilled, especially when she finds out the family will be living in the subterráneo—a dark, unfinished basement—until the white family renting the house above moves out. As the ever-optimistic Pop works to improve his family’s situation by adding an apartment to the back of the house, Junior and his little brother make friends with Tim and Kim, the children living above them. But soon tensions erupt—between Junior’s mother and Tim and Kim’s parents, between Pop and co-workers at his new job, and between Tim and Boogie, Junior’s friend from the barrio—and these conflicts reshape Junior’s relationships with family and friends, and threaten the new world his father is striving to create.
“This is truly an extraordinary story by a gifted writer.” —Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima
“A delightful coming-of-age story by a new young adult author.” —Lila Guzmán, author of Lorenzo’s Secret Mission
“This book feels like a classic to me.” —Naomi Shihab Nye, author of You and Yours
“Carlos Flores’s insightful domestic drama is a study on what it means to be an American: love and tragedy aren’t too far apart.” —Ilan Stavans, author of The Hispanic Condition: The Power of a People
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