House of Houses [Hardcover]

Pat Mora (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807072001 | ISBN-13: 978-0807072004 | Publication Date: May 1997 | Edition: First Edition

A family memoir told in the voices of ancestors, this book is about oppression and survival and sometimes triumph as "any book about a Mexican American family must be." Mora's house of houses is large, imagined, traditional, a refuge from the desert's heat, where the generations of her family, living and dead, mingle through the months of a single year.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Combining poetic language and the traditions of magic realism to paint a vivid portrait of her family, Pat Mora's House of Houses is an unconventional memoir that reads as if every member, death notwithstanding, is in one room talking, laughing, and crying. In a take-off on the Day of the Dead, the story begins with a visit to the cemetery in which all of her deceased relatives come alive to share stories of the family, literally bringing the food to their own funerals. From there the book covers a year in the life of her clan, revealing the personalities and events that Mora herself so desperately yearns to know and understand.

By abandoning the traditional memoir form, Mora allows the reader to meet in person each member of her extended, often eccentric family, learning of their lives firsthand. In this way, the principal actors serve to drive the narrative they helped to create. The people are as rich and elaborate as any fictional characters, including a father who can transform himself into a bird, and a grandmother who, though blind, sees visions of the Virgin Mary. Woven into the story are songs, recipes, and colloquialisms that reveal the family's Mexican heritage and signal the subtle transformations that occur upon moving north to Texas. In the end, Mora's tender touch with language creates an imaginative reunion between past and present, leaving a legacy for future generations.

From Library Journal

Poet Mora (Confetti, Lee & Low, 1996) has written the memoir of a Mexican American family in the form of voices of her ancestors living and dead. These 12 chapters, one for each month of the year, are deeply meaningful; each story, event, and name has a message about life, love, dependence, and memory. For example, we read of Mora's grandmother, the Mexican Cinderella, a red-haired orphan taken in by wealthy relatives; her mother, Estella, the extrovert; and her father, Raul, whom we meet on the first page when her Aunt Chole asks, "How can you still be hungry if you're dead?" The book contains photographs and genealogical charts to enhance the reader's perceptions and understanding of this work as a social and historical document. It is reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude as well as Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club but at times becomes disjointed and overschematic, treating the most fantastic happenings as if they were everyday occurrences. Still, this allegorical tale, filled with superstitions, remedies, and events, may be useful for academic libraries and necessary for Latin American literary collections.?Susan Dearstyne, Hudson Valley Community Coll., Troy, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Pr; First Edition edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807072001
• ISBN-13: 978-0807072004
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Hispanic

More About the Author

Pat Mora, born in El Paso, Texas, is an award-winning poet and author of books for adults, teens, and children. Her awards include a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Golden Kite Award, American Library Association Notable Book Awards, and honorary doctorates. A former teacher and university administrator, she is the founder of the family literacy initiative El día de los niños / El día de los libros, Children's Day / Book Day (Día). The year-long commitment to linking all children to books, languages and cultures, and of sharing what Pat calls "bookjoy," culminates in celebrations across the country in April. Pat lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and invites you to visit her at www.patmora.com and http://sharebookjoy.blogspot.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!, July 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: House of Houses (Hardcover)

Some "magical realism" stories (with dead relatives interacting with the living) seem contrived; this memoir's use of the same device does not. Though I am not Hispanic nor Spanish-speaking, I am a native of Texas and loved this book. It resonated with me in part because much of it takes place in Texas (El Paso), and also because I find family histories compelling (my own family -- and other families).I disagree with the New York Times reviewer (above and on the book jacket) who says the author's use of Spanish phrases cannot be picked up from context clues. Nonsense! The author gives the English translation right in the same paragraph!A good read that can be picked up and put down as time warrants.