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Interview with author Amada Irma Perez
by Aline Pereira*
Amada Irma P̩rez is an award-winning author, speaker and a leading advocate of programs that encourage multicultural understanding.
Born in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and raised mostly in California, Amada Irma was a bilingual teacher for kindergarten through university for over 25 years. Her books are inspired by her life experiences and are beloved for their humorous details and themes of family, love, and friendship.
Amada Irma���s first two books, My Very Own Room/ Mi proprio cuartito and My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqu�� hasta all�� were critically acclaimed and have been honored by several major Latino awards in children���s literature, including the American Library Association���s Pura Belpr̩ Honor Award, the T��mas Rivera Mexican American Children���s Book Award and the Am̩ricas Award.
Nana���s Big Surprise/Nana Que Sorpresa! is her latest book.
She lives with her husband and children in Ventura, California. .............................................................................................................
Your bilingual stories bring a fresh perspective to a number of universal themes, including pride in heritage, cross-cultural understanding, and the strength of family. Your latest book, for example, Nana���s Big Surprise/Nana Que Sorpresa! is an intergenerational tale about the importance of family. How and when did you decide to dedicate yourself to writing and advocating literacy and multicultural understanding?
Growing up as a Mexican immigrant in the 1950's, in the days when we were not allowed to speak Spanish and we had no bilingual materials or books in Spanish, I wondered why we never read about children like us. Our brown faces and Mexican lives were missing from everything we read in school. There was nothing in our public libraries about us! I felt as if our existence didn���t matter, almost as if we ourselves did not exist. So I told my stories in school. When I became an English major at Cal Poly, Pomona in the late sixties our stories were still missing. So I told my stories in my writing assignments. We struggled to get Chicano Studies classes into the curriculum.
When I became a bilingual teacher in the 1970���s we still had no books that showed our Latino lives. So I told my stories to my students. When I couldn���t find books about our realities of immigration, the strength of our families, pride in our heritage, or beautiful culture for my elementary students in the 1990���s, I finally decided to write my own stories down and try to get them published. I decided to write books that would promote multicultural understanding. So I wrote my first book in 1998, at the Southcoast Writing Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
As a young immigrant from Mexico living in poverty in the United States what were some of the obstacles you've had to overcome in order to feel ���at home���?
Living in poverty in the United States in the 1950���s-1960���s was not easy. The first thing I had to learn was English at a time when it was ���sink or swim���. There was absolutely no extra help, no bilingual teachers, aides, materials. I cried myself to sleep at night. I felt frustrated and scared at school. I knew I could never have the material things the other students had and had to accept our economic realities of wearing homemade clothes from flower sacks or hand-me- downs. We received Christmas baskets from our school���s canned food drives. I was always afraid somebody would recognize the sweaters I wore from the lost and found box that our school nurse gave me. It was embarrassing living in the ugliest house with the oldest, ugliest, beat up cars, and not having a telephone. Life got even harder when my father ���broke his back��� at his foundry job and became disabled. My mother instilled pride in us and made sure we were always clean, neat, and responsible. She helped me with my homework and taught me to read and write in Spanish. It took me a long time to ���feel at home.��� I only became a U.S. citizen when I was in college, at 19.
Speaking of home��� your first bilingual picture book, My very Own Room/ Mi Proprio Cuartito was the winner of several awards, including the Tomas Rivera, and is based on your experience of living with your parents and five little brothers in a small house constantly full of visiting relatives. All you wished for was a room of your own. Now, judging by the accolades your work has received to date, it sounds to me like you have managed also to get a room in the house of children���s literature. How does it feel to look back at your path and realize how far you���ve come?
I am honored and humbled by all the awards my books have received. My stories are not just "my stories", but the stories of thousands or maybe millions of immigrants and residents who share my history, experiences, frustration, pain and warm, sweet memories. Many people say they can relate to the universal themes I write about even if they are not immigrants. From my tiny storage closet room to a room in the house of children���s literature? Wow! I guess I have come a long way. But it was not an easy road. Being one of three Chicanas in the English/Language Arts Department at Cal Poly, Pomona in the 1970���s was no easy task. I have worked very, very hard and have been fortunate to have so many people carry me on their shoulders throughout my career. I only hope to carry others on mine as we bring more relevant stories/books to people of all ages and backgrounds.
In My Diary From Here to There/ Mi Diario de Aqui Hasta All��, based on your own journey across the border ���to the other side,��� with your family, young Amada writes down her fears, hopes and dreams in her diary. The simple narrative gently allows readers into the soul of a young life touched by insecurity and doubts. Do you still keep a diary or journal? How did keeping a diary help you then? Does it help you now, with your other writing?
My mother gave me my first diary as a birthday present when I turned 11. It was a beautiful white little book with gold lettering and a tiny lock and key. Each page was divided up into five sections as it was a 5 year diary. Wow! A whole book for me to fill up! I began writing in it the simple, mundane details of my life like what I did with my friends or who won the spelling bee. Later, it was special to share my secrets like the boys that I liked, problems with my parents and frustrations with my brothers. I used it to help me deal with the angst that young teens all deal with. My diary became my friend and I learned the delicious discipline of writing before I went to bed. Now I have many journals that I use for different purposes. I wrote all first drafts of my books in them.
Has the fact that your picture book stories published so far are autobiographical made them easier or harder to write?
I���ve always enjoyed reading autobiographies and found it easy to tell my own stories when I started writing. I wrote them as if I were telling them to a friend. They are based on my life, but fictionalized to make them even better.
How has your experience as a bilingual educator influenced your development as a writer?
As a bilingual educator, I knew the kinds of books I needed for my students, especially books that dealt with the realities of immigration, poverty, family, and adjusting to a new culture. I needed to write books that students could relate to and enjoy with their Spanish-speaking parents. I knew the California language arts standards and wanted to create books that could be strong examples of narrative, journal writing, letter writing and that included plenty of writers��� craft techniques. I came to the realization that the best way to teach students to become better writers was to become a better writer myself.
What were some of the ways in which you tried to instill a love of your native culture in your two children, when they were growing up? Did book reading and storytelling play a big role in that regard?
My husband and I made a conscious decision to raise bilingual children who valued their cultural background. We spoke to them in Spanish; built a bilingual library; took them to libraries and bookstores; and exposed them to all kinds of music and cultural celebrations. They grew up hearing their grandparents share their stories in Spanish ��� I came from a family of storytellers who were so funny, we would laugh until we cried ��� and we also told them lots of stories at family gatherings. Our sons learned to value both of their cultures. And I am proud to say that, even though both of them were born in the U.S., they seem to value their heritage as much as I do.
With a growing immigrant population of Latinos, Asians and many others in the United States, it is becoming an imperative for students not only to understand the culture and experiences of their peers, but also to realize their myriad connections to their own lives. What role do you think bilingual books play in building a culture of tolerance and appreciation of difference?
Bilingual books play a very important role in building a culture of tolerance and appreciation of difference. They can build bridges by answering questions that people may not even know how to ask. People can learn what immigrants really go through beyond what they see in newspapers or on the news. Readers can feel what young characters feel and empathize or sympathize. Old prejudices can melt away when a new level of understanding is reached.
Who are your readers? Are they mostly bilingual kids and/or kids acquiring a second language? Which one, if any, do you have in mind when writing?
When I write, I think of all kids. Of course, I hope that kids like me, who have experienced the same difficulties as I did because of economic, cultural and language differences will relate to my stories. But I also hope that kids that are not like me, like the majority of the children in this country, who don���t know Spanish, will gain a greater understanding of my language and culture. I know that kids of all ages read my books, even middle and high school students. I also learned that adults in English-as-a-second language and Spanish classes read and enjoy my books. Besides visiting schools, I also visit colleges and universities, especially 'teacher preparation' classes.
Being a frequent presenter at schools nationwide, how do you make your presentations engaging for young ones? Any special tricks up your sleeve?
When I do presentations at schools, nationally and internationally, I am very aware of my audience and can engage any age group or grade level. My varied teaching experience of pre-kindergarten to university is a real plus in planning my very interactive, dramatic presentations. My books are very visual ��� Maya Christina Gonzalez���s illustrations are filled with interesting details and whimsical characters and situations. From book walks, to book talks, to dramatic audience interpretations, all students love to participate, role play, and ask questions.
Bilingual education has been very effective at stimulating the publication of bilingual fiction and non-fiction. Of the wealth of Hispanic authors writing for children and young adults these days, who are your favorites?
Although we have more bilingual fiction and non-fiction books available now as opposed to some decades ago, there are still not enough of them. Libraries and bookstores seem to have only a tiny shelf of books in Spanish ��� and that includes bilingual books! Bilingual books also belong on the English shelves, so English readers can discover them and begin to be exposed to Spanish. They, too, can benefit from learning about Latino cultures.
Some of my favorite bilingual authors are the ones that my publisher, Children���s Book Press publishes, including Francisco Alarc��n, Jorge Argueta, Lucha Corpi, Carmen Lomas Garza, Juan Felipe Herrera, Luis Rodriguez; the Tom��s Rivera Award winners: Pat Mora, Gary Soto, Bobbi Salinas, Rudolfo Anaya, Yuyi Morales; and the Pura Belpr̩ Award winners: Alma Flor Ada, Julia Alvarez, Viola Canales, Pam Munoz Ryan, Victor Martinez, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and others like Monica Brown, Sandra Cisneros, Rene Colato, Kathleen Contreras, Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford, Ramona Moreno Winne, and many more. The list is long... and we need to keep it growing!
Any new children���s stories (or a novel, as rumor has it) coming out soon?
I have a new story, ���Arty���s Amazing Accordion��� finished, and looking for a publisher right now, and many other stories in the works. And I am indeed working on a novel, that may end up being for young adults, which will hopefully be finished soon.
Now, could you please end the interview by telling us what your heritage means to you?
My heritage is one of the greatest gifts my parents have given me. I know that I am from two continents: Europe and the Americas. My ancestors came from Spain and married indigenous women in Mexico. From my mother���s side I have Yaqui blood and from my father���s side I am Taruhumara. My father was born in Arizona, so I am also American. I was born in Mexico but have been living in the United States since I was 5 years old.
Growing up, we took frequent trips to Mexico, to visit our extended family, and to this day we continue to celebrate and take part in cultural, religious, and family events such as baptisms, weddings, and quinceaneras. We enjoy the music, food and other traditions of my heritage, and I honor my ancestors by wearing clothing, jewelry and shoes from Mexico in my daily life, and when doing presentations. I try to visit my native Mexico as often as I can.
*Aline Pereira is PaperTigers Managing Editor
Posted September 2007
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