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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
May 2005, 512 pages
Paperback:
Apr 2006, 528 pages
This article relates to The Hummingbird's Daughter
Urrea (pronounced oo-RAY-ah) was born in Tijuana, Mexico. His father was Mexican, his
mother from New York. When he was three his family moved
to San Diego where he grew up and attended college. He
currently teaches at the University of Illinois (Full
bio)
The Hummingbird's Daughter is based on the real-life story of his
Great Aunt Teresita, the 'Saint of Cabora'. She was born
in 1873 to a 14-year-old Indian girl impregnated by
a local rancher. Raised in poverty by an abusive aunt she
managed to learn music and to read and also exhibited
great healing powers. At 16 she was raped and lapsed
into a coma and was declared dead, but at her wake she
sat up alive and well. Thousands of pilgrims came to
visit her even though the Catholic Church denounced her. You will find much more about her if you choose to search online (and, of course, in Urrea's book), but I don't want to give any more away for fear of spoiling the plot.
This "beyond the book article" relates to The Hummingbird's Daughter. It originally ran in July 2005 and has been updated for the
April 2006 paperback edition.
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