Book review: "Bless Me, Ultima"

Our July book club selection was the Chicano novel "Bless Me, Ultima," by Rudolfo Anaya. It's a coming of age story about a kid named Antonio who lives in New Mexico around the time of WWII.

Antonio feels pulled in different directions. His mother's family are quiet, calm people of the earth -- the Lunas. His father comes from the spirited, ambitious people of the llano -- the Marez. From the day he was born, he has been expected to choose to follow the path of one or the other. But that's not really what this story is about.

A curandera, Ultima, comes to live with his family. Antonio witnesses her magic, her connection to the world around her and her effect on the lives she touches. Seeing her work wonders in front of him calls into question Antonio's Christian belief system. But that's not really what this story is about.

There's a man, Tenorio, who hates Ultima and vows revenge on her because she believes she's responsible for the deaths of his daughters, who are found to be witches. In the end, Tenorio achieves his revenge by killing Ultima's owl -- her spirit animal -- and thereby killing Ultima. But... well, you know what I'm about to say.

All of the above things happen in the story, but what the story is really about is doubt. In this case, the doubt of the religion you grew up with, what you should be when you grow up and whether or not good can really triumph over evil. Any doubts a person has in their life could be transplanted into the story with the same result, which is this: It's ok to not know.

I appreciated this book because I myself have doubts about the faith I grew up believing in. And I think everyone has doubts about who they are supposed to be at one time or another. And with all the evil things that happen in the world, who wouldn't doubt whether or not good is fighting a losing battle?

The thing is, we probably won't get all the answers. And that's ok. Frustrating? Scary? Disappointing? Unnerving? Infuriating? Yes to all. We need to accept that we don't and won't know everything, that we don't and won't always make the best decisions. Once we do that, we can open our minds to new knowledge and experiences. And once we do THAT... well, we just might figure some stuff out, including, if nothing else, how we fit into life.