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On December 7, 1941, a suicide squadron that had left Japan weeks earlier attacked Pearl Harbor. After this event, the U.S. military campaign against Japan and other Axis countries reached hundreds of Mexican citizens. There were even ivilian deaths.

This “collateral damage” took place slowly and systematically in the Mexican Republic. Japanese immigrants and their descendants suffered the consequences of World War II in various ways: some families were sent to concentration camps or designated areas in Mexico City and Guadalajara, while others were destroyed by the selective detention of hundreds of men in Perote Prison, the forced sale of their property, and deportation. This book gives a partial account of the history of the Japanese-Mexican community during World War II. However, it makes no attempt to be a historically accurate source of information. The task of narrating this story is so complex that it is necessary to incorporate interviews, legal documents, police reports, memoirs, poems, and short stories without specifying the genre, the degree of veracity, or the exact origin of the texts. All names have been changed, and while some situations are fictional, others are told in the first person by those affected to give the reader an opportunity to measure the dimensions of the human heart.

The documents that served as the basis for this book can be found at the General Archives of the Nation of Mexico and the National Archives of the United States. However, oral histories are the cornerstone of this text. I must inform my reader, therefore, that this story is also the work of Fidelia Takaki de Noriega, Eva Watanabe Matsuo, Rodolfo Nakamura Ortiz, the Tanaka Otsuka family, Raúl Hiromoto Yoshino, María Fujigaki Lechuga, and Susana Kobashi Sánchez, as well as the officials of various government departments who wrote the reports, memos, and certificates that appear in this volume.

Selfa A. Chew holds an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in borderlands history from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is an editor for Border Senses Literary Review. She teaches at the University of Texas at El Paso and New Mexico State University.

A moving story inserted with primary documents that challenges the official discourse through a chorus of voices that interweave in the life and death of the Japanese-Mexican community, especially its women. Images, poetry, and words disseminate a unique story—Lourdes Vázquez, author of Not Myself Without You.

Ïn Silent Herons, Selfa Chew offers us a beautiful,  polyphonic testimony, and strikes a balance, thanks to her art, among her own invention, documents, and oral histories. Based on true events, but it doesn’t allow to be overwhelmed by them, nor does I seem to be a mere reconstruction of the past. Materials have been placed in their places: they are seamlessly intertwined.” —Daniel Orizaga, author of Minuta: Ensayos sobre literatura.

 Selfa Chew searches holiday resorts that were jails for the remains of reality. Silent Herons is a complex work for its literary originality expressed in artistic form and language, and for the weight of events of more than fifty years ago that rarely have been examined.”—Minerva Laveaga, Director of Border Senses

Selfa Chew discover and disseminates the history of the Japanese Mexican community that has been erased from national historiography in order to fill the empty spaces of our history and reveal the hegemonic discourse and artifices.”—Guadalupe Pérez-Anzaldo, University of Missouri.

The Mexican narrative is not prodigal in intense feminine characters, but Teresita comes to fill some of that lack. The author went to meet her story and, of what was just a fact,Tomóchica name in an early-century novel(Heriberto Frías' Takechic) built a magnificent and authentic character. Touring the  Veredas del Olvido  created a story of the real and the wonderful thus forging a great fictional female character who transcended Oblivion. (Aralia López González)

 Veredas del olvido (Teresa Urrea 'la Santa' de Cabora)   is like Pandora's famous box, a receptacle of multiple stories... a great novel worth reading, a novel where aesthetic values lie in their mastery of the word and merge with a deep world view. (Lorena Paz Valderrábano  Bernal)

The bells had to have been blown into flight, and  critics should have fallen little less than on their knees, in the face of a work of such magnitude as this. From the best novels by Luis Spota, and that of Juan Rulfo, there was nothing written in Mexico of this size... which assumes greatness, magnitude, originality and flight like few novels written in Spanish. I'll be grateful for the advice of anyone who reads this real literary gem. (Rafael Solana)

Brianda Domecq offers a great novela worth being read (...) where the history of Mexico, everyday life at the turn ofthe last century, magical, religious and mythical beliefs (converge with) cultural schemes around family, morality, and women... Domecq offers a literary discourse where aesthetic values lie in its mastery of the word (...) and a deep world view. (Lorena Paz Valderrábano  Bernal)

Veredas del olvido (Teresa Urrea 'la Santa' de Cabora) is a novel that blurs the boundaries between popular fiction and high literature. It is easy to read, action-packed, and – at the same time – can be read at a philosophical, analytical and metafiction level. It is a novel that occupies many spaces: those traditionally considered masculine (history, politics, philosophy) and those traditionally considered feminine (the domestic world, emotions and nature).  (Deborah Shaw)

  The novel tells the story of Teresa Urrea, illegitimate daughter of an indigenous woman –Cayetana Chavez– and a rancher from northern Mexico– Tomás Urrea–, against the background of the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, the wars of the Yaquis Indians in the north, and the first gestations of the Mexican Revolution. On the scheme of real events, a story full of magic and humanity is weeded that transcends the time of action to face the timeless and current issues of the human being.

In this comprehensive novel,  Domecq creates and  recreates the story and character of a 19th-century historical figure, Teresa Urrea. An illegitimate daughter of master and servant, Teresa breaks down all myths, taboos and traditions and becomes the object of a cult, a revolutionary, and the dominant force in a patriarchal society. The plot,  fascinating  and complex, is carefully woven, with each thread in place. (Gabriella de  Beer)

La narrativa mexicana no es pródiga en intensos caracteres femeninos, pero Teresita viene a llenar parte de esa carencia. La autora fue al encuentro de su historia y, de lo que solo era un dato, un nombre en una novela de principios de siglo (Tomóchic, de Heriberto Frías) construyó un personaje magnífico y auténtico. Recorriendo las Veredas del olvido creó una historia de lo real y lo maravilloso forjando con ello un gran personaje femenino de ficción que trascendió el Olvido. (Aralia López González)

Veredas del olvido (Teresa Urrea 'la Santa' de Cabora) es como la célebre caja de Pandora, receptáculo de múltiples historias… una estupenda novela que vale la pena ser leída, una novela donde los valores estéticos radican en su dominio de la palabra y se funden con una profunda visión de mundo. (Lorena Paz Valderrábano Bernal)

Las campanas tenían que haber sido echadas a vuelo, y los críticos debieran de haber caído poco menos que de rodillas, ante una obra de tal magnitud como ésta. Desde las mejores novelas de Luis Spota, y la de Juan Rulfo, no había nada escrito en México de esta talla… que asume una grandeza, una magnitud, una originalidad y un vuelo como pocas novelas escritas en español. Me agradecerá el consejo quien lea esta auténtica joya literaria. (Rafael Solana)

Brianda Domecq ofrece una estupenda novela que vale la pena ser leída (…) donde la historia de México, la vida cotidiana en el cambio de siglo pasado, las creencias mágicas, religiosas y míticas (confluyen con) los esquemas culturales en torno a la familia, la moral, y la mujer... Domecq ofrece un discurso literario donde los valores estéticos radican en su dominio de la palabra (…) y una profunda visión de mundo. (Lorena Paz Valderrábano Bernal)

Veredas del olvido es una novela que desdibuja las fronteras entre la ficción popular y la alta literatura. Es fácil de leer, llena de acción, y –al mismo tiempo- puede leerse a un nivel filosófico, analítico y de metaficción. Es una novela que ocupa muchos espacios: aquellos tradicionalmente considerados masculinos (la historia, la política, la filosofía) y aquellos tradicionalmente considerados femeninos (el mundo doméstico, las emociones y la naturaleza).  (Deborah Shaw)

 La novela cuenta la historia de Teresa Urrea, hija ilegítima de una mujer indígena –Cayetana Chávez- y un hacendado del norte de México –Tomás Urrea-, contra el trasfondo de la dictadura de Porfirio Díaz, las guerras de los indios Yaquis en el norte, y las primeras gestaciones de la Revolución mexicana. Sobre el esquema de los hechos reales, se teje una historia llena de magia y humanidad que traspasa la época de la acción para enfrentar las cuestiones tanto intemporales como actuales del ser humano.

En esta abarcadora novela, Domecq crea y recrea la historia y el personaje de una figura histórica del siglo XIX, Teresa Urrea. Hija ilegítima de amo y sirvienta, Teresa rompe todos los mitos, tabúes y tradiciones y se convierte en objeto de un culto, una revolucionaria, y la fuerza dominante en una sociedad patriarcal. La trama, fascinante y compleja, esta cuidadosamente tejida, con cada hilo en su lugar. (Gabriella de Beer)

Ronald and Maricarmen Lemley are bilingual teachers who have worked for decades teaching English in California, New Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Lima before settling in their home in Cajamarca, Peru. Maricarmen and Ronald have been married for 35 years and have written and illustrated five bilingual children’s books with the help of Floricanto Press.

 During their five years in New Mexico, the Lemleys lived in a farming area where thousands of acres of red and green chile surrounded the countryside. In that southwestern culture, they would frequent the chile roasteries and learned to barbecue and peel enough green and red chile to last them through the cold winters. They also learned where to buy freshly ground chile powder, sopaipillas, enchiladas suizas, green chile stew, pozole, bizcochitos, and blue corn pancakes. They learned the secret of cooking and blending dried chiles to make a creamy salsa.

They are well-known by the fruit and vegetable vendors in the colorful Mercado Municipal de Magdalena del Mar as well as the Mercado Central in Cajamarca. They have traveled to the Cusco and Macchu Pichu and the Amazonian jungle areas of Iquitos and Madre de Dios. After much practice, they can find and prepare a wide variety of fresh herbs, fruit vegetables, meat products, and spices that can be used for cooking Peruvian food.

A whole spectrum of Andean, coastal and Amazonian ingredients are available in Cajamarca due to its unique geographical location. One can buy the tiny bananas called plátanos-manzanos, yucca, red, yellow purple and white potatoes, giant papayas, mangoes, passion fruit, five different kinds of avocados, and numerous other ingredients.

While this is their first cookbook, Ronald`s work history includes several years as a cook in French/Vietnamese restaurant where he learned to make Creme Brule, Coc au Vin, Ratatouille, traditional and sourdough French bread and Crevettes Cognac au Beurre.

The couple spent their free time in both Northern California and New Mexico, growing extensive gardens with a variety of Peruvian yellow chiles, black corn, tomatoes, and Peruvian purple potatoes.

Peruvians become experimental when living in the US, and Maricarmen would often buy Peruvian ingredients at a Latin market to make flan, aji de gallina, carpulcra, and other dishes.

In Lima, the couple earned certificates of achievement after attending professional cooking classes and often experiment with their newly learned recipes.

Please don’t be afraid to shop the Latin American markets and try out the recipes in this book that offers many unique and easy to prepare Peruvian recipes.

It is the story of Elizabeth Irene Martínez, an early Latina pioneer administrator in the library world—and a leading advocate of library services to Hispanics and the Mexican and Latino communities. She witnessed and suffered racial hostilities and fought the denial of library services to minorities. The story includes the spiritual strength she drew from her ancestors, her vigor, which helped her to stave off the professional criticism. This compelling narrative documents her struggles to provide library services to the underserved populations and the contentious issues that divided American librarianship then, and today, its persistent inability to recognize and serve diverse communities, the Latino population in particular. It also documents the hostile response and backlash from the white leading administrators and library board members to her legitimate demands. Her account is a story of enduring professional friendships, an indictment of the library profession, bitter betrayals, and overt racial discrimination by leaders of the American public libraries.

This book comes at an appropriate time when bigotry, racial discrimination, and inequities in public services have driven to exasperation victimized minorities and people of good conscience. When the wounds of racial divisions, lack of services, and conflict in American institutions—often very well hidden to this day in American libraries—have come opened and bleed shame, discontent, anger, if not remorse, sorrow, and regret. On June 26, 2020, four days before this book went to press, and about 144 years after its founding, The American Library Association (ALA), very likely forced by the unprecedented racial demonstrations in the streets of America, has issued a declaration of responsibility: "ALA takes responsibility for past racism, pledges a more equitable association." However, will the status quo change?

 Hers is a Chicana chronicle, a Latina woman’s story, an American story. It is a tale mainly written on the open stage of American libraries over the last four decades.  The White entrenched library world saw her mission of diversity and expanding services to minorities as aggression to white dominance over budget and services. She hopes that young people of all ethnicities, races, and cultures who are entering any profession striving for changes to address multicultural communities will find in her story inspiring to fight for a racially inclusive and pluralistic society.

This story needed to go beyond the hyper-realism usually associated with representations of the ghetto and its conditions. Searing and powerful, this work could not be more urgent in our present moment. --Roanne Kantor, Professor of English, Stanford University