Real life is messy. My psychology professor used the term, “the walking wounded”, to describe those of us who are somehow damaged but still functioning in society.
“Kirstin Valdez Quade conjures characters that will linger long after the final page, bringing to life their struggles to parent children they may not be equipped to save.”
Amazon.com: The Five Wounds: A Novel: 9780393242836: Quade, Kirstin Valdez
The Christian seasons of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter are the perfect time to engage with Kristin Valdez Quade’s first novel, Five Wounds (2021). The first character the reader encounters is deep into the ritual of sacrifice and his own skewed demonstration of faith. As the story unfolds, his extended family, full of the squabbles, jealousies, and insecurities of modern life, reenact a passion play of hurt and healing.
This esteemed Latinx author and her award-winning novel, recognized by the New York Times Book Review, Publisher’s Weekly, and the Library Journal, to name a few, is a selection for senior students and junior faculty coming to grips with the diverse experiences within our modern American households.
"In this cruel and divisive era, Kirstin Valdez Quade has brought healing and regeneration with The Five Wounds. It is bracing and wise, and it breaks us in the best ways. Then builds us back up again. It should find many grateful readers."
― Luis Alberto Urrea, author of House of Broken Angels
Diverse Voices - Bravo! introduces you to Latinx authors each week with the intention of broadening your reading list, your classroom selections, and your library offerings in hopes that Latinx students and others will see and hear their own voices and experiences reflected in their education.
Twisted Cross, Golden Secrets, and Broken Promises, my own historic fiction for young adults, shares this same purpose. Find these books and valuable classroom materials at https://anitaperezferguson.com.