Xopan Books, An Imprint of San Diego State University Press

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Border Citizen Ralph Inzunza A YA Fiction Title from Xopan Books An Imprint of SDSU Press Edited by Nayeli Castañeda-Lechuga 200 pages Paperback	ISBN 9781938537622 \| December 2023 $19.95 USA \| $365 MEX \| €19.00 EURO SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS Keywords: Young Adult Fiction, Chicano Literature, Latinx Studies, American Literature. YA Novels No fan of Amazon.com? Buy direct NOW from Xopan Books & SDSU Press for $21 total, including shipping!

*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 1980's. The novel depicts a community constantly defending their barrio from harassment and neglect from the 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 on Border Citizen "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 and Director, The MALAS Cultural Studies MA Program San Diego State University

About the Author Ralph Inzunza was born and raised along the U.S. / Mexican border to activist Chicano parents. At a very young age, he was exposed to the Chicano Movement, and continued his own activism in MECHA at San Diego State University where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and his Master's Degree in Latin American Studies. While in college, he ran his Dad's successful National City Council campaign, and served as a Lyndon B. Johnson Fellow in Washington D.C. for Congressman Jim Bates. Today, Mr. Inzunza works as a leading Democratic political consultant in San Diego. In addition to his political work, he also enjoys writing, and had his first book The Camp published by Floricanto Press in 2017. He resides in Chula Vista, California with his wife Ana who is a bilingual school teacher, and their two children.