“Cantina Confidential” and “Salsa Chica” – Free on Kindle till May 11th
Mother’s deserve so much more than a day (like paid family leave and shared domestic labor for starters). But since this day is not going anywhere I want to honor my lovely late mom by promoting her book “Cantina Confidential” about migrant farm laborers in 1940s California (link in bio). You can read for free on Kindle from midnight May 7th till May 11th.
My mother raised me to be an artist and writer. She shared her passion for books, her love for Mexican culture and music, and took me to plays and auditions. She made so many contributions to this world, including helping migrants through her work with Cesar Chavez and creating Latin and Chicano library collections as one of the first Ethnic Studies Librarians. She volunteered for the Peace Corp in Brazil and took the best prom pictures. To say I miss her doesn’t scratch the surface. I would do anything to hug her again.
She encouraged me to write, follow my dreams, do what I wanted and also gave me a really hard time about many things, including not having kids. I wrote about our complicated relationship in my memoir “Salsa Chica: How I Learned To Dance Salsa And Avoid Real Life” which is also available for free on Kindle till May 11th.
Mother’s Day can be painful for those of us who lost our moms. I encourage anyone who is part of this club to do something nice for yourself. (Nails are overrated, chocolate is not.)
Motherhood is no joke. Especially, in America where the onus falls on women. It’s unpaid emotional and physical labor. I chose not to go this route, but have so much respect for the struggle of working moms. Mothers should not have to be “strong.” I look forward to the day when “fun moms” can come and play with kids for an hour before running out for a softball game and leaving dad with hyped up kids and a mess of legos. Stop clapping for dads who show up at a ballet recital.
Lastly, taking this pic was a pain. I will never again work this hard for good lighting.