Latino Literacy Now has recognized Edinburg resident Emma Gonzalez with two awards for her book, “Field Mice: Memoirs of a Migrant Child.”
The Latino Literacy Now organization, based in California, chose Gonzalez’s book for two awards at the 19th annual International Latino Book Awards, held Sept. 9. Gonzalez won the Most Inspirational Novel Award and the children’s edition won Most Inspirational Book for Young Adults.
Gonzalez said her book is “a nostalgic journey back to the ’50s and ’60s. … The stories are short vignettes of my memories of the incidents and experiences that I went through as a migrant child.”
“Paths of Pearls,” her upcoming book, continues recounting stories of her life after she settled in Edinburg due to her father’s health. The schools, culture and living in Edinburg were completely new to her. From around ages 5 to 10, her life had consisted of constant relocating. Before settling, she had been part of one of several pioneer migrant families recruited to go to Colorado.
While growing up, she felt guided by Mother Teresa. She hopes others can find inspiration and guidance in her book.
“It’s for migrant students,” Gonzalez said. “… Really, in general, any student, because it’s applicable to most. The drive to succeed, the drive, the want to be educated, and following your dreams down the road and that education is going to be the way out for you.”
Education is important to Gonzalez. She continued her education and became a crime victim coordinator for Hidalgo County.
“I owe my life to a Japanese farmer in Ovid, Colo.,” she said. “He pulled me out of the fields and told my parents ‘put her in school.’”
From that point on, Gonzalez said she never looked back.
As an adult, Gonzalez wrote the book in a year during her free time. She kept a handheld recorder at all times and would document whenever she remembered something important to her. At the end of the day, she would type out her recording and expand it to a full vignette.
Readers can expect more works from her. “Paths of Pearls” is expected to be available by the end of the year. Besides writing her second book, she is looking to have her first book translated into Spanish. She hopes to publish children’s stories. These will be a spinoff of the first book. It will follow Emma, three mice and their adventures.
For more information, visit http://countyrd34publishings.com/.
