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alexiscartwheelI picked up González & Daughter Trucking Co. by María Empara Escandón last week at the Johnson County Library. I could say that I didn't pull the book down from the shelf because the cover is bright yellow, but then I would be lying. I know, don't judge a book by it's cover, blah blah blah, but I'm sorry, I just can't help it if my brain thinks aesthetics are kind of important. Warm and inviting yellow cover aside, here's why you should read the book:
"Bringing back to life all the people I killed is the one wish at the top of my list."
Libertad González is an inmate in the Mexicali Penal Institution for Women, but no one knows what exactly she's in for. When others enquire, Libertad is less than forthcoming, not because she doesn't want to tell, but because she doesn't know how. Then she starts the Library Club. The Library Club meets once a week to listen to Libertad read from the books in the small prison library. But instead of reading from The Three Musketeers or The Old Man in the Sea, Libertad begins to tell her own story. She tells of her father, Joaquín, the former literature professor on the run from the Mexican government, and her mother Virginia, lady trucker. Libertad grew up a trucker, partner in the González & Daughter Trucking Co. since her infancy. She tells of her life and education on the road, each week leaving her audience hanging, waiting for more, until she finally can confess her crime.
There are so many stories in González & Daughter Trucking Co.: the story of Libertad's life in prison, the stories of the inmates who become her closest friends, and of course the story the Libertad, Mexican-American Scheherazade, weave each week for the Library Club. In the end it is her story, not her crime, that matters most.
"Bringing back to life all the people I killed is the one wish at the top of my list."
Libertad González is an inmate in the Mexicali Penal Institution for Women, but no one knows what exactly she's in for. When others enquire, Libertad is less than forthcoming, not because she doesn't want to tell, but because she doesn't know how. Then she starts the Library Club. The Library Club meets once a week to listen to Libertad read from the books in the small prison library. But instead of reading from The Three Musketeers or The Old Man in the Sea, Libertad begins to tell her own story. She tells of her father, Joaquín, the former literature professor on the run from the Mexican government, and her mother Virginia, lady trucker. Libertad grew up a trucker, partner in the González & Daughter Trucking Co. since her infancy. She tells of her life and education on the road, each week leaving her audience hanging, waiting for more, until she finally can confess her crime.
There are so many stories in González & Daughter Trucking Co.: the story of Libertad's life in prison, the stories of the inmates who become her closest friends, and of course the story the Libertad, Mexican-American Scheherazade, weave each week for the Library Club. In the end it is her story, not her crime, that matters most.
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