Whiskey Tender by Deborah Jackson Taffa

This is a personal story but one that is all too common in the Americas. The author is indigenous but of mixed heritage. Her father is a Quechan (Yuma) and Laguna Pueblo and her a Catholic Latina mother who never discussed being descended from both Spanish conquistadors and Native people. She comes through experience to understand the hierarchy within the American Southwest, that places more value on Spanish blood over indigenous blood, paying no heed to the fact that girls were enslaved to Conquistadors and the mixing of blood was not consensual. Her parents’ attitudes about things diverged drastically, as did their temperaments. Her father seemed to be raw to the world, his memories and traumas always just beneath the surface of his skin, spilling out in stories and outbursts alike; her mother anchored herself with prayer, preferring to keep her hurts private, her doubts buried, her insecurities hidden away behind a competent and confident facade. They were united, however, in their commitment to the family they’d built and raised together. There are issues related to violence, poverty and drug abuse--but they play supporting roles in the story. This is a coming of age story from someone whose ancestors came to this land first but are not treated as such.