"Reading this book is like talking to an old friend. Antonio: A Mexican Boy & His Stories, cuentos told with such vibrancy that characters emerge with rich and complex texture, maps the intricacies hidden behind a person's name. Heartfelt and kind...it is a reminder of what it means to be successful: to move with dignity, integrity, compassion, and a dash of wit. This book is stunning."
-Roberta Hurtado, PhD
Associate Professor of Latina/o Literature & Culture, State University of New York at Oswego
"Like Antonio, I thought I'd seen changes in the world that meant others following me would be spared the hurts and barriers, but lately,
it seems, those changes I thought were real were just a veil...I hope that others will have the chance to read this amazing story and, from it, learn about themselves and the world but, most importantly, come to believe, as I do, that change is possible; we can all be different and better."
-Arthur E. Hernandez, phd
Professor of Psychology, UIW Dreeben School of Education, University of Incarnate Word
Throughout his life, Jesse Natal Sánchez (December 22, 1936-August 11, 2020) wrote about his upbringing in the Texas community where he was raised. Antonio focuses on the experience of growing up as a Mexican American during the war years of 1941 to 1945 and beyond. Because of Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and other medical complications, the use of Jesse's left arm was highly restricted in the last years of his life. After he retired at age sixty-five and using only three fingers on his laptop, Jesse dedicated himself full-time to finishing this story, and by July 21, 2020, he was done. Thus, the tremors that caused Jesse's arms to shake continuously, day and night, did not stop him from achieving his dream.
