American Copia: An Immigrant Epic

by Javier O. Huerta

Overview

"Today I'm going to the grocery store," begins this creative fusion of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. This is also the sentence Javier O. Huerta was given to write during his naturalization interview. Having lived in the U.S. for twenty years already, he was put off by the simplicity of the sentence. "I wanted to tell the INS agent that I could do things with the English language that she could never imagine," he writes in the preface.

In this innovative work that uses grocery stores as a guiding motif, he deftly combines English and Spanish to explore his identity as an immigrant, naturalized citizen, son, brother, lover, graduate student. Visits to grocery stores in the U.S. and northern Mexico lead to questions about himself. "I often wonder if I would have grown up thin had my family stayed and bought groceries in Mexico. The day we crossed the river my seven-year-old body had not an ounce of fat on it," he remembers.

But he looks beyond his own personal circumstances as he explores the abundance of experience found in going to the grocery store. Through poetry written in Spanish, a short play, non-fiction passages and even text messages, Huerta delves into subjects such as consumerism and health foods available only to a limited class of people. The diverse pieces and themes in American Copia pulsate with all that can be both communal and autonomous in everyday life. Men take advantage of women; people protest against practices that place corporate profits above a fair wage for farmworkers; and, sometimes, people commit acts of violence.

Though Huerta touches on serious subjects, many of these short vignettes are quirky and humorous. His is an original, evocative voice that articulates the immigrant perspective to create a thought-provoking look at the land of plenty. This is a must-read for anyone interested in experimental or Mexican-American literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611924442
Publisher:	Arte Publico Press
Publication date:	03/30/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	724,889
File size:	950 KB

Table of Contents

Form N-652

Preface xi

American Copia 1

"Me das algo, te doy dinero, los dos vamos en el camino" 11

"Ayer por la trade, en el quinto día del pánico, empecé" 12

On ta Jorge? 13

Amapola: A Play 15

"Publix me hizo reír la primera vez que vi" 23

"Anónimo" 24

American Copia 25

"Un hombre en mi sueño me dijo" 38

"Solo Quiero aclarar. Es en mis sueñnos" 39

Meet Memo 40

Sum of Our Love 42

"'Juan Carlos: fui" 45

"'Don Tomi" 46

"Mi amá va a la tienda porque necesitamos" 47

"¡¿Por qué no me quieres?!" 48

"Una vez a mi tía Rocío" 49

American Copia 50

"Así" 60

"Dos lls de septiembre han pasado, y todavía" 61

"el audio caja negra de los pilotos" 62

"Realmente" 63

"La semana pasada" 64

Oráculo 65

When I Step, Females Respond 68

"Cuando el mono 24 se escapa" 71

"Por desgracia, Mr. Whipple ha fallecido" 72

American Copia 73

"¿Cuántos de ustedes confiarían en el Otro, hoy en día?" 84

"Soy uno de los mayores defensores de las checklists" 85

Wheatsville: A Dialogue 86

Las Aventuras de La Dos en Costcolandia 91

"Terminaremos" 95

"Tootsie va" 96

American Copia 97

Agradecimientos 109

Editorial Reviews

A wildly creative exploration of the immigrant experience, weaving lives and language in and out of supermarkets, corner stores, depositos, and kitchens. . . deeply affecting and laugh-out-loud funny, and Huerta's deft command of English, Spanish and Spanglish allow him to explore both the culturally unique and universally human experiences that bind immigrant and citizen inextricably.

Picture American Copia rendered as a sprawling, multi-arc story along the lines of 'Magnolia' or 'Do the Right Thing', with the stories of Huerta, 'la Pouty', 'Nene and Memo 'intersecting magically in the broad aisles of Costco or HEB.

The Monitor