About the Book

The Madonnas of Echo Park

We slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours. With these words, spoken by an illegal Mexican day laborer, The Madonnas of Echo Park takes us into the unseen world of Los Angeles, following the men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream. When a dozen or so girls and mothers gather on an Echo Park street corner to act out a scene from a Madonna music video, they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. In the aftermath, Aurora Esperanza grows distant from her mother, Felicia, who as a housekeeper in the Hollywood Hills establishes a unique relationship with a detached housewife.

The Esperanzas' shifting lives connect with those of various members of their neighborhood. A day laborer trolls the streets for work with men half his age and witnesses a murder that pits his morality against his illegal status; a religious hypocrite gets her comeuppance when she meets the Virgin Mary at a bus stop on Sunset Boulevard; a typical bus route turns violent when cultures and egos collide in the night, with devastating results; and Aurora goes on a journey through her gentrified childhood neighborhood in a quest to discover her own history and her place in the land that all Mexican Americans dream of, "the land that belongs to us again."

Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles. In the footsteps of Junot DÍaz and Sherman Alexie, Brando Skyhorse in his debut novel gives voice to one neighborhood in Los Angeles with an astonishing— and unforgettable—lyrical power.

(Published by
Free Press—Simon and Schuster)

About the Author

Born and raised in Echo Park, California, Brando Skyhorse is a graduate of Stanford University and the MFA Writers' Workshop program at UC Irvine. For the past ten years he has worked in New York publishing. His next book, also forthcoming from Free Press, is a memoir about growing up with five stepfathers.

About the Guest Interviewer

Aurora Anaya-Cerda is the owner of La Casa Azul Bookstore, an online bookstore that promotes Latino literature. Since the launch of the virtual bookstore, Aurora has established the Barrio Book Club, in collaboration with El Museo del Barrio in New York City. This August marks the 2nd anniversary of the Barrio Book Club, a gathering place for lovers of Latino literature. La Casa Azul Bookstore also travels with local writers and hosts reading and book talks at cultural venues in New York.
 
This year Hispanigentsia will feature Aurora and La Casa Azul Bookstore in the Upwardly Mobile Road Tour, a documentary that features some of the country’s Hispanic-American academic, artistic and professional talent. Aurora and La Casa Azul Bookstore have been interviewed for blogs such as labloga, PR Sun, and MiLatinoVoice. In the summer of 2009 she was featured in the New York Daily News as an innovative entrepreneur who promotes literature and Latino writers in local East Harlem venues, including El Museo del Barrio. American Latino TV also featured Aurora and La Casa Azul Bookstore in 2009; the award winning show interviews Latinos doing extraordinary and inspirational things.
 
Aurora is an active member of the East Harlem community as a participant and supporter of cultural and educational events. A graduate of UCLA, Aurora has a double Bachelor’s degree in History and Chicana/o Studies. She was awarded the Juanita Centeno Leadership Award and the UCLA Women for Change Leadership Award, both for outstanding dedication and service to her community. Aurora received a scholarship from the New Start Fund, awarded to women entrepreneurs in New York City and was recently accepted as a member of the Young Hispanic Leaders Program.