cover, spine & back cover — click to enlarge
Border Citizen is the first YA Fiction title from Xopan Books, a new SDSU Press imprint. Ralph Inzunza’s novel tells the vibrant story of young Carlos Reyes growing up along the United States / Mexico borderlands.
There, Carlos witnesses his Mexican-American family and community struggle in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1980s. The novel depicts a community constantly defending their barrio from harassment and neglect from local government and police until tragedy strikes. As a result, they transform themselves, entering the political arena to take back their neighborhood. Yet the fight here is just as daunting, as Carlos discovers that the struggle for political power is never given, it must be taken.
Advance Word
“Heart and courage fill teen Carlito's captivating journey—and with this, the complexity of life lived betwixt and between Santa Ysabel and Tijuana. Inzunza's pitch-perfect prose captures the sound, sight, smell, touch, taste of everyday struggles and triumphs, joys and tragedies for youth living en la frontera. Border Citizen powerfully reminds that Chicanx youth care, and their revolutions matter. This is borderlandia lit at its storytelling best!”Frederick Luis Aldama — Jacob & Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, Department of English, The University of Texas, Austin
“A breakthrough moment in YA Fiction, Ralph Inzunza's Border Citizen unveils the rich histories of Southern California and San Diego's South Bay with vivid and compelling artistry—a moving tapestry of political resistance and social justice for 21st century readers.”William “Memo” Nericcio — Professor of English and Comparative Literature & Chicana/o/x Studies; Director, MALAS Cultural Studies MA Program, San Diego State University
