American Tumbleweeds by Marta Elva tells the story of the Ramirez family who reside in El Paso, Texas during the 1960’s. They split time between Texas and their patria, Juarez, Mexico. The story revolves around the coming of age of Inez, the border towns, and how adult decisions influence children. That’s the simplified way to describe the book, as it’s hard to encapsulate all the intricacies that are involved in growing up bi-cultural and in Inez’s case, empathetic.

The themes in the book are based in the 1960’s but could easily be told today. The complexities that are added to Inez’s life due to her family’s decisions come at a cost. She’s forced to grow up fast but has the freedom to dream beyond her small town upbringing; in the United States feminism is blooming. After meeting Inez you’ll want to know where life took her. Did she get disillusioned, empowered, or end up craving the simple life like she experienced in Juarez, Mexico. The beauty of how Elva tells the story is that you’ll find yourself relating to Inez and at the same time learning about an experience that is so often ignored yet, extremely vital to the history of the United States.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this publication.