Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Goodreads Summary:

Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima enters his life. She is a curandera, one who heals with herbs and magic. 'We cannot let her live her last days in loneliness,' says Antonio's mother. 'It is not the way of our people,' agrees his father. And so Ultima comes to live with Antonio's family in New Mexico. Soon Tony will journey to the threshold of manhood. Always, Ultima watches over him. She graces him with the courage to face childhood bigotry, diabolical possession, the moral collapse of his brother, and too many violent deaths. Under her wise guidance, Tony will probe the family ties that bind him, and he will find in himself the magical secrets of the pagan past—a mythic legacy equally as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America in which he has been schooled. At each turn in his life there is Ultima who will nurture the birth of his soul. 

Review: 

This was another mandatory read, dictated by my sophomore English teacher. However, unlike Macbeth, this read was very enjoyable. The writing itself was beautiful and almost sounded like poetry, with all of its descriptive language. The theme was different for me: considering it is set in a just-post World War II New Mexico. I loved reading about the culture and the Spanish language itself is so amazing to read. 

The over all theme of the book was also extremely intruiging to me. Much of the six-year-olds, Antonio's, self-conflict revolved around his doubt of God and the religion he had been brought up believing in. Ultima's influence is very prominent in this conflict. His strange dreams were also very fascinating to read about considering they are so intricate, bizarre, and telling. For such a small child, Antonio's character was definitely not immature in the slightest and I loved ending about his internal struggle. 

Over all this novel was very interesting and watching a young boy go through such a battle with his spirituality was more than enthralling. I really liked this book and would recommend it to people who are interested in spirituality, the search for God, and finding oneself. (Short and sweet review this Sunday!)