Description: The sole novel of beloved Chicana author Estela Portillo Trambley, Trini is the epic story of one girl's journey across borders and into womanhood. Born in the rural region of the Tarahumara (Raramuri) people in Mexico, Trini shares her family's struggle to squeeze a living out of her beautiful but inhospitable land. But she is sustained by the rich traditions of her Mestiza heritage, the adopted traditions of the Tarahumara, and by her own intelligence and spirit. As a young woman, she crosses into the United States to pursue her dreams of independence and land ownership.
Trini is a novel distinguished by the richness and beauty of its language and by its rare depiction of life in the Borderlands in the 1940s and 1950s. Most remarkable of all is its portrait of a sensitive and courageous young Chicana woman, whose quiet heroism resonates from every page. Here restored to print with a new foreword, this early novel of the Mexican American experience is bound to take its rightful place among contemporary classics of multicultural American literature.Review Quotes: "An engrossing tale . . . Trambley convincingly conveys the beauty, magic, and harshness of Tarahumara country in this fine effort." --Books of the Southwest
"Trini is a coming-of-age story rich with romance and drama, with miracles and mysteries. This rare glimpse into life in the Tarahumara region of Mexico explores a complex web that includes the power of love and faith--both Catholic and rooted in indigenous traditions and values. The reprinting of this novel is significant in the history of Chicana literature, and will introduce new readers to the journeys of the resilient Trini." --Pat Mora, author of House of Houses