The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

His passion and energy for this book had me jumping with my own excitement. A very special thanks to Goodreads friend, Truman. I knew I wanted to read this book the minute I heard about it. Teeming with brilliance and humor, authentic at every turn, The House of Broken Angels cements his reputation as a storyteller of the first rank. Above all, this finely wrought portrait of a deeply complex family and the America they have come to call home is Urrea at his purest and best. It is a tale of the ravaging power of death to shore up the bits of life you have forgotten, whether by choice or not.

This story of the De La Cruzes is the story of what it means to be a Mexican in America, to have lived two lives across one border. Among the attendants is his half-brother and namesake, Little Angel, who comes face to face with the siblings with whom he shared a father but not, as the weekend proceeds to remind him, a life. There will be two family affairs in one weekend: a farewell double-header. The novel gathers together the entire De La Cruz clan, as they meet for the final birthday party Big Angel is throwing for himself, at home in San Diego, as he nears the end of his struggle with cancer and reflects on his long and full life.īut when Big Angel's mother, Mama America, approaching one hundred, dies herself as the party nears, he must plan her funeral as well.

Destined to sit alongside other classic immigrant novels, The House of Broken Angels is a sprawling and epic family saga helmed by patriarch Big Angel. Prizewinning and bestselling writer Luis Urrea has written his Mexican coming-to-America story and his masterpiece. The definitive Mexican-American immigrant story, a sprawling and deeply felt portrait of a Mexican-American family occasioned by the impending loss of its patriarch, from one of the country's most beloved authors.

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea