Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano Mariposa by Rigoberto Gonzalez - 2006

Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2006. AQ1 - A first edition (numberline starts at "1") hardcover book SIGNED by author on the title page in as new condition in as new dust jacket that is mylar protected. Writing in Latinidad, Autobiographical Voices of U.S. Latino/as. Heartbreaking, poetic, and intensely personal, Butterfly Boy is a unique coming out and coming-of-age story of a first-generation Chicano who trades one life for another, only to discover that history and memory are not exchangeable or forgettable. Growing up among poor migrant Mexican farmworkers, Rigoberto González also faces the pressure of coming-of-age as a gay man in a culture that prizes machismo. Losing his mother when he is twelve, González must then confront his father's abandonment and an abiding sense of cultural estrangement, both from his adopted home in the United States and from a Mexican birthright. His only sense of connection gets forged in a violent relationship with an older man. By finding his calling as a writer, and by revisiting the relationship with his father during a trip to Mexico, González finally claims his identity at the intersection of race, class, and sexuality. The result is a leap of faith that every reader who ever felt like an outsider will immediately recognize. 9.5"x6.5", 207 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Rigoberto González is an American writer and book critic. He is an editor and author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and bilingual children's books, and self-identifies in his writing as a gay Chicano. His most recent project is The Book of Ruin, a poetry collection. His memoir What Drowns the Flowers in Your Mouth: A Memoir of Brotherhood was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography. He is the 2015 recipient of the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle. . Signed by Author. First Edition. Hard Cover. As New/As New. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.