The book tells of a six year old boy named Antonio living in New Mexico in the World War II years, and how a curandera, a traditional healer and wise woman named Ultima comes to live with him and his family.
Antonio's father comes from a family of hispanic cowboys who traditionally lived on the llano (plains) - his mother comes from a family of farmers, who traditionally live in a river valley. His father's family is named for and is symbolized by the sea (restless wanderers from an ocean of grass) and his mother's are named for and symbolized by the moon (which guides their lives and farming activities). Antonio must decide on who he is.
| Quote: |
Ultima came to stay with us the summer I was almost seven. When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth. The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood. She took my hand, and the silent, magic powers she possessed made beauty from the raw, sun-baked llano, the green river valley, and the blue bowl which was the white sun's home. My bare feet felt the throbbing earth and my body trembled with excitement. Time stood still, and it shared with me all that had been, and all that was to come... |
| Quote: |
| "Antonio," she smiled. She took my hand, and I felt the power of a whirlwind sweep around me. Her eyes swept the surrounding hills and through them I saw for the first time the wild beauty of our hills and the magic of the green river. My nostrils quivered as I felt the song of the mockingbirds and the drone of the grasshoppers mingle with the pulse of the earth. The four corners of the llano met in me, and the white sun shone on my soul. The granules of sand at my feet and the sun and sky above me seemed to dissolve into one strange, complete being. A cry came to my throat, and I wanted to shout it and run in the beauty I had found. |
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