A Glass of Water

Book excerpt: “[A] blistering novel” of family, loyalty, ambition, and revenge that offers an intimate look into the tragedies unfurling at the US-Mexico border (Publishers Weekly). The promise of a new beginning brings Casimiro and Nopal together when they are young immigrants, having made the nearly deadly journey across the border from Mexico. They settle into a life of long days in the chili fields, and in a few years their happy union yields two sons, Lorenzo and Vito. But when Nopal is brutally murdered, the boys are left to navigate life in this brave but capricious new world without her. A Glass of Water is a searing, heartfelt tribute to brotherhood, and an arresting portrait of the twisted paths people take to claim their piece of the American dream. The first novel from award-winning memoirist, poet, and activist, Jimmy Santiago Baca, it is a passionate and galvanizing addition to Chicano literature. “The sheer passion that drives Baca’s novel is undeniable.” —Publishers Weekly “[With] image-rich writing . . . A Glass of Water adds another strong voice to the growing body of literature on immigration and migrant farmworkers . . . . Baca should be commended for tackling injustice in his fiction.” —High Country News “A well-written and at times lyrical saga told with understanding and compassion.” —Library Journal