Tim Z. Hernandez and Melani Martinez: Family, Memory, and the Borderlands

Join us to celebrate two new books from the borderlands—"They Call You Back: A Lost History, A Search, A Memoir" by Tim Z. Hernandez and "The Molino: A Memoir" by Melani Martinez. The two authors will read from their books and discuss common themes. Both books document a lost history through the haunting, other-worldly voices calling us to remember, search, uncover, and restore the authors’ place and impact—their essential belonging—as descendants of farm and food workers and in the vast Borderlands. The discussion will be moderated by Javier D. Duran, Professor of Latin-American and Border Studies at the Center for Latin American Studies and the founding director of the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry under The Office of Research, Innovation, & Impact at the University of Arizona. A book signing and reception will follow the discussion with books available for purchase while supplies last. The event is sponsored and supported by The University of Arizona Press, the University Libraries Special Collections, the Southwest Center, and the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and available first-come, first-served. About the books: In "They Call You Back: A Lost History, A Search, A Memoir," Tim Z. Hernandez continues his search to find the families of the twenty-eight Mexicans who were killed in the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon. He also turns the lens on himself and his ancestral past, revealing the tumultuous and deeply intimate experiences that have fueled his investigations—a lifelong journey haunted by memory, addiction, generational trauma, and the spirit world. They Call You Back is the true chronicle of one man’s obsession to restore dignity to an undignified chapter in America’s past, while at the same time making a case for why we must heal our personal wounds if we are ever to heal our political ones. Set in one of Tucson’s first tamal and tortilla factories, "The Molino" is a hybrid memoir that reckons with one family’s loss of home, food, and faith. Weaving together history, culture, and Mexican food traditions, Melani Martinez shares the story of her family’s life and work in the heart of their downtown eatery, El Rapido. Opened by Martinez’s great-grandfather, Aurelio Perez, in 1933, El Rapido served tamales and burritos to residents and visitors to Tucson’s historic Barrio Presidio for nearly seventy years. For the family, the factory that bound them together was known for the giant corn grinder churning behind the scenes—the molino. With clear eyes and warm humor, Martinez documents the work required to prepare food for others, and explores the heartbreaking aftermath of gentrification that forces the multigenerational family business to close its doors.

Event Links

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2601067-0

Read More

View Less