"See me, I tell him. Looking at me, existing here, in a place you've said I don't belong. You forget que soy una mojada. Give me lines to cross, why don't you."
We are rounding out our list of books that celebrate Hispanic Heritage month (and transition us to Filipino Heritage month!) with The Last Karankawas. This novel beautifully depicts the stories of interconnected individuals from Galveston, Texas and the Mexican and Filipino communities as they prepare for Hurricane Ike in 2008. The style of this book is reminiscent of There, There by Tommy Orange. There are a lot of characters, each connected through Carly, a Filipina Mexican American within the community. Her story is filled with angst created by the dichotomous state of longing to escape and desperate to belong. This theme can be seen throughout the novel and fully forms when the Hurricane surges along the Texas coastline. The Last Karankawas truly is a love letter to Galveston. As Rice graduates from Houston, who experienced Hurricane Ike first hand, this was a nostalgic read that immediately endeared us to the writing and characters. Overall, we thought this was a good representation of the culturally diverse communities that make Houston and the surrounding cities the wonderful places they are.