LAS LIBRARY

Listen to Luis Urrea’s "Life is an Act of Literary
Creation" featured on the National Public Radio
show, "This I Believe"

New Novel Combines Humor, Feminism and The Magnificent Seven

by Julie A. Hunt

"The bandidos came to the village at the worst possible time. Of course, everyone in Mexico would agree that there is no particularly good time for bad men to come to town." Thus begins Into the Beautiful North, the latest release from Luis Alberto Urrea, professor of English and creative writing.

Published by Little Brown on May 19, 2009, the novel tells the story of 19 year-old protagonist,

Nayeli, who serves tacos by day, and hatches improbable plots to protect her town by night. When her father must leave her to seek work in the United States, Nayeli discovers that she is not the only one in Tres Camarones whose family is missing its men. To protect her fellow women from the drug gangsters that threaten to take over in the men’s absence, she takes her cues from the plot of The Magnificent Seven. With three friends, she heads north to find seven Mexican men—her own "Siete Magníficos"—and bring them back to Mexico to secure and defend their town.

In this latest work, Urrea made a conscious decision to explore the idea of women taking the powerful roles traditionally held by men—that is, until those men leave to find work in the United States. In addition to this feminist focus on women’s lives, Urrea’s novel also focuses on humor. His earlier novels, especially The Hummingbird’s Daughter and The Devil’s Highway,

From Luis Urrea’s "Life is an Act of Literary Creation:"

"Many writing instructors will tell you that to be a great writer, you must be attentive. Shamans will tell you the same thing: If you want to be a good person, a whole person, wake up! Pay attention! Be here now! Zen monks will go so far as to hit you with a stick. Look!"

Urrea’s audio essay was recently featured on "This I Believe," an NPR program in which "Americans from all walks of life share the personal philosophies and core values that guide their daily lives.” The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

both of which are now being made into movies, often took a more serious tone. Early reviews describe Into the Beautiful North as "deliciously composed… (written) in a sweet but serious style" (Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune), and confirm that its "colorful characters, strong narrative and humor carry this surprisingly uplifting and very human story" (Publishers Weekly).

Luis Alberto Urrea is the author of more than ten works of fiction and nonfiction. A member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame, Urrea was born in Tijuana, Mexico to a Mexican father and an American mother. After moving to California as a child, he received his BA from the University of California, San Diego and his master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Colorado at Boulder.