Here is My Kingdom

Book excerpt: Here Is My Kingdom: Hispanic-American Literature and Art for Young People is a vital and colorful anthology - the first of its kind - that illuminates the many facets of the Hispanic-American experience. To capture the spirit, vitality, and diversity of the Hispanic heritage, Here Is My Kingdom covers a broad spectrum of cultures and origins and spans history from Columbus and Cortes to Cesar Chavez. Through the poems, texts, and illustrations the reader can explore many kingdoms: Spain and Portugal; the Mayas and Aztecs; the kingdom of God; the mythical kingdom of Aztlan, said by some to have existed where New Mexico and Arizona are today. The text and art - by classic, well-known, and even relatively new writers and artists - are brilliantly selected from a vast and rich literary and historical tradition. The art and literature work together here to convey remarkable images of beauty and endurance and feelings of strength and pride. Frida Kahlo's painting Roots accompanies words from the poem "The Roots" by Hugo Salazar Tamariz. A traditional folk rhyme is paired with colorful Mexican folk art. Wifredo Lam's The Jungle appears with "Give Me Back My World" by Rita Geada. The elegant, accessible design and beautifully reproduced illustrations of Here Is My Kingdom let the reader enjoy paintings, folk art, murals, wood-block prints, cave drawing, ancient and contemporary sculpture, and photographs that enhance songs, poems, and proverbs, and excerpts from short stories, essays, novels, and speeches. Biographical notes give background information on all the artists and writers, including places where more of their work can be found. The book's foreword is by Luis R. Cancel, Commissionerof Cultural Affairs in New York City and former Executive Director of the Bronx Museum of the Arts. He gives insight into the complex question of Hispanic-American identity and tells the reader to "remember that the oral and literary traditions of your family, neighbors, and community can help you to define and celebrate your own unique identity". Celebrating pride in the past and faith in the future, Here Is My Kingdom will inspire everyone, young readers especially, to discover their potential and make their own contribution to the American heritage.