The Magda of Donna Gershten's Kissing the Virgin's Mouth is someone who has known the harsh beauty and cruel truth of life for women in Mexico, and I believe that Gershten must have done so also. Her characters are vivid and real. The blood that Magda's mother and her tia Chucha offer the baby Jesus blends with the blood of thousands who have gone before her. The language that Gershten uses to describe their offering is authentic, lyrical, and compelling. I trust it, and trust that the author knows Mexican women. A BEAUTIFUL tale, with heart and poetry and a cadence I only hear when I am in Mexico.

Gershten's heroine, Magda, tears your heart open with her poverty, her fierce spirit, her love of her countrymen and women. With exquisite--but never prettified--language, the author hypnotized me and made me believe that I knew this world. Anyone with an understanding or experience of the struggles of poverty will know this voice rings true. Anyone who's ever been the mother of a young woman will feel Magda's struggle in her bones. I remembered, years ago, my life shared with a houseful of illegal immigrants in a large American city. Equal in our poverty, but separated by culture and language, we found ways to see each others need for connection and survival and grace. Sharing one's life with Mexican neighbors and friends is no longer an uncommon experience in the U.S. But Gershten has done something deeply moving in this book, and something difficult to achieve for any writer--she has embraced her character and Mexican culture with love and shared pain and the authority of a powerful writer who is capable of utter honesty. Gershten's eyes see what we all could see if we sat still enough and paid attention. I invite everyone to read this book!

I was required to read this book for my Literature class. The first couple of pages were the hardest to get through,(because of the transition from Spanish to English) after that, I couldn't put it down! Donna has a wonderful way of weaving words and bringing the gritty texture of reality into focus. I've bought this book for everyone in my family and am anxiously awaiting her next one. We got to meet with the author and she is an incredible person!