PaperTigers commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month in the USA (9/15 - 10/15), with a host of fabulous "interviews, articles, books and artwork that capture the Hispanic temper of our times."
Once you head there, after you've clicked around like a maniac through the rich content, I recommend downloading "Notes From Another Country: Tell Me Where Your Country Ends And Mine Begins," a poignant essay by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (author of the YA novel Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood), describing why he considers the slice of territory between El Paso and Juárez his home. Here's an excerpt:
Once you head there, after you've clicked around like a maniac through the rich content, I recommend downloading "Notes From Another Country: Tell Me Where Your Country Ends And Mine Begins," a poignant essay by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (author of the YA novel Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood), describing why he considers the slice of territory between El Paso and Juárez his home. Here's an excerpt:
I could say something like this: I belong to the border. I examine the statement—and then decide it’s inaccurate. Then I write: The border has always owned me. I picture myself wearing a t-shirt that reads: OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE BORDER. And then I think: I would very much like to wear such a t-shirt. I am owned by the border. Explaining that harsh and illogical fact to myself has become the core of my thinking, the heart of my writing.Note: PaperTigers' summer issue featured my list of best books for teens between cultures, which I couldn't tell you about because of this.