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TYTT Volume 2

Leaving Tijuana
Leaving Tijuana 840 560 LA County Library

Leaving Tijuana

It was around 6:30 a.m. when I heard a knock on my window. It was Ernesto. “They took Ulises.” He had a look that woke me instantly. read more
Bending Branches
Bending Branches 912 386 LA County Library

Bending Branches

The wooden mess hall was filled with the warm smells of coffee, eggs and bacon. Over 300 workers from Mexico filled up on breakfast for the long day of harvest. read more
A Spiritual Misfortune
A Spiritual Misfortune 1024 683 LA County Library

A Spiritual Misfortune

Street vendors, food stands, and nightly dances were what they were raised on back in Mexico. Ivette lived in Northeast Los Angeles, and visited her sister occasionally. read more
Brushes Were Forbidden
Brushes Were Forbidden 1024 683 LA County Library

Brushes Were Forbidden

Russian soldiers made it first. They came to Czechoslovakia in August 1968. I came in August, too. I was born in Czechoslovakia in August, 1970. read more
Stepping Foot On The Moon
Stepping Foot On The Moon 798 472 LA County Library

Stepping Foot On The Moon

It was a cold dark morning and somewhere out in the Sonoran desert the Tres Estrellas de Oro bus I had boarded hours earlier in Tijuana came to a halt, the motor switched off. It was 2:30 AM. read more
The Mural
The Mural 840 560 LA County Library

The Mural

In the summer of 1973, I was one of the kids who painted the mural in the Estrada Courts housing project in honor of the gang I belonged to, Varrio Nueva Estrada. read more
In The Company of Memories
In The Company of Memories 1024 683 LA County Library

In The Company of Memories

A long crackled road runs through a small collection of houses, a village far from any city. The sky above this village is light gray during winter and the fields of green crops are now dry and faded yellow. read more
The Garage
The Garage 1024 683 LA County Library

The Garage

When I was in elementary school in East L.A. I would climb atop our rickety garage at night and stare up at the moon, the stars, and space. The roof was flat with a shallow slope. read more
Tell Your True Tale volume 2 cover
2 | Introduction 683 1024 LA County Library

2 | Introduction

The story of an almost-blind Czech child and that of an East L.A. boy fascinated with Albert Einstein. A girl running off to Mexico at 16 to marry a man she can’t understand. A gang member painting a mural to his barrio. A bracero coming to save the crops during World War II and a young man helping a friend cross the U.S.-Mexico border. A woman dying alone with her memories and another haunted by spirits. read more
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