Limon uses a historical setting in Mexico during one of the many Mexican revolutions to spin a tale of forbidden love, jealousy, and opression of native peoples. All readers from teen to adult ages would enjoy it. Beautiful language is used in description of characters and setting. The reader can really picture the people and places. I highly recommend this book, not only for the story, but also for the important underlying themes concerning the Raramuri people of Mexico.

a skillful portrayal of "forbidden" loves!

from the first page, graciela limon takes her readers by the hand (and heart!) and leads them deep into a mostly misguided world where secrecy and shame shroud and shackle life's inhabitants -- but where real and true love will be neither silenced nor denied anymore!

thanks to well-crafted and meaningful writing -- you, too, will fall in love! ... with a character, with a belief, with a cause! the power of the passion that has been poured into these pages will ignite in you a fire, and incite you to rise up alongside these courageous "underdogs" -- and to fight against a man/society who/that so cunningly, coldly, and diabolically plots, schemes, connives and contrives to control those, who by virtue of nature and gender, have been born and are considered to be lesser/weaker, by condemning them to living deaths - for loving those who are "forbidden" -- and, in one way or another, by taking the lives of their "forbidden" lovers.

who can read, and not feel, the pleasure and pain that seduces and sways the lonely brigida as she first lays eyes on her brother's betrothed? only to be forced to succumb to an empty life devoid of her existence. -- and -- who can bear witness to, and not be affected by, the finish of the raramuri's race - in which isadora's too-brown-skinned young lover will, quite literally, run away forever with her heart!

yet, there is the promise of triumph amidst the tragedy -- the novel ends with new hope in the form and character of alondra, isadora's daughter, for this "bird that sings sweetly and flies to unknown distances" becomes intrigued by the passion(ate stories) of her past/ancestors, and returns to her roots in search of a better and brighter (a more enlightened) tomorrow.

as one of limon's characters reminds us: "some spirits are made for one another" -- and, until the day comes when we are free to live and love without fear, condemnation or reserve on THIS side of the sierras, we have our/The Day of the Moon = a must read! especially for anyone who has ever been tormented by and/or lived a "forbidden" love!

Graciela Limon has continued her tradition of giving us the real story from the point of view of indignas rather than settling for an accepted view of history. Just as she takes the Hummingbird god of war in Song of the Hummingbird and makes him the female diety Huitzitzilin, she invokes the male diety Xipe Totec and makes him female. Limon rewrites traditional mythology and gives power to the female. Her choice to call the Tarahumara tribe, Raramuri, the name they prefer rather than by the name the Spaniards gave them allows these people to have their own voice. On top of these accomplishments she gives us an innovative story and tells it so well we. Limon's descriptions compliment the quality of her storytelling. Some are so effective that they give you chills, as when she describes a young girl's horror of the shadows caught inthe corners of windows. She says, "The shadows that clung to the vaulted ceilings like giant blackbirds scared her (76)." Limon's treatment of the different faces of silence gives her story strength. From the silence that the protagonist's sister weilds to the silence that the scheming plotting protagonist Flavio maintains, and the silence of Isadora after she meets with a fateful demise, silence is a mechanism for mystery and intrigue. Day of the Moon is definitely a book you can't put down. To read it is to be transported to another world, to another place in time, and into the lives of a type of people most of us have never even thought of.

es el relato espeluznante de una madre, desde que concibio sus 2 hijos y las visicitudes en el transcurso de los anos.el primero, arrancado de sus brazos, ignorando por completo su paradero, y el segundo, perdido en medio de una guerrilla sangrienta en el salvador. asi comienza la odisea de dona luz en busca de uno de sus hijos, sin saber que el destino de este estaba en manos del otro hijo.

Deep in the jungle of Chiapas, Mexico -- Graciela Limon paints for her readers a vibrantly vivid picture of a very real, and until now, mostly faceless world. In her captivating pages, she takes us far beneath the "plush green-black canopy" of mahogany and ceiba trees, to a place where we are surrounded by "the incessant cacophony of the forest" -- where we find ourselves immersed and enmeshed, for 258 pages, in the heart and soul of the Mexican indigenous world. It is a world that human/e civilization has left behind -- where men are brutalized and over-burdened like beasts, and "women toil, breaking their backs, growing old before their time, buried in the mud of ignorance" -- until Limon's Juana, Orlando, and other Zapatista rebels, refusing to accept their fates, scream out: "Ya basta! No more!"

Limon has done it again! = another wonderful job of interweaving the beautiful rainbow threads of a very profound forbidden love into the background tapestry of her story -- that which colorfully develops between the insurgent Juana Galvan and a recruited Chicana photographer, Adriana Mora. Although the two women have lived their lives separated by thousands of miles -- meaningful dreams, visible scars, and inexplicable emotional ties attest to their belief that they have loved one another before.

As Limon writes, "we repeat ourselves," .... a phrase that refers not only to the belief in reincarnation held by the Lacandon people, but also to humanity's insistence, persistence -- and resistance to change -- AND challenge a(n all-too-often racist/classist/sexist/homophobic) "status quo."

In Limon's pages, and outside of them as well!, the struggle for freedom in the (erased) face/s of oppression goes on ....
and crimes of pure hatred ("puro odio") exact a terrifying toll on our/selves and our world.

**********

A masterfully crafted and expertly executed "wake-up call" for a sleeping world -- this is a timely and necessary novel with a very important message -- and in her creation/writing of it, Limon, like her Adriana, has taken on the highly courageous and commendable role of a missionary "of sorts."

..... her best to date!

in this unfortunately-too-often-overlooked-(because it is out of print?) pre-author-edited version of what would later become her Song of the Hummingbird, Graciela Limon captures the indescribable splendor, and inexcusable obliteration of a nation/people/civilization before, during and after its destruction and fall.

Huitzitzilin/Hummingbird/Maria de Belen (and Limon), singing this her/their first song, tells the story of her/a native woman's conquered life -- and transports her readers to a faraway place and time, where we relive the history and experience the painful labor and difficult birth of a modern day Mexico.

Limon, who possesses a true talent for making life's lessons learnable, puts the story into history -- and what a "messenger" she's found in her "bird" that does much more than hum! Huitzitzilin (like Limon), with a knack for getting her point across in the strong yet subtle way that her readers have grown to admire, respect, look forward to, and love -- provokes new ways of thinking, as she poses such ponderances as: "if your bearded captains sacrifice a god for man, why not man for a god?" -- not so much as/in an attempt to rationalize the Mexica practice of human sacrificial offerings to their deities, but more as a way to challenge pre-conceived notions and prejudiced beliefs -- to make others re-think and re-see -- to bid them to step out of their ethnocentric shoes and walk awhile with the soles/souls they condemn as inhuman, and are so judgemental of.

thus we see the Mexica, not as barbaric savages, but as humans, weak and strong, of flesh and blood -- as men, women and children who "breathed and loved and felt and laughed and wept" -- realties that the glitter of gold blinded their conquerors to, the greed in them replacing any trace of brotherly love.

in addition to being an absorbing read, Limon's Maria de Belen is an attempt to educate her readers, not only in the ways of the Mexica, but in the ways of all mankind, by reminding them/us that no matter the shades of our skins, we are all the same -- brown or white, dark or light -- and by leading/redirecting them/us from knowing to understanding this truth -- in the hope that such comprehension will open closed minds and hearts, for -- as she says, "only through love can suffering end." -- and we've suffered enough!

those of you who have read (and love) Song of the Hummingbird will appreciate having made the effort to locate this one! complete with more descriptive stanzas and detailed verses than its scaled down and modified version, it offers a wealth of expanded information about aztec/mexica rituals, ceremonies, customs and beliefs -- both the scholar and the regular reader will get their time's worth from it! -- it has something for everyone.

Ana is a fated woman- plagued by visions and dreams damning her and deriding her. And, as her story progresses, we see that her life must follow the path of despair in order to reach redemption. The story draws on elements of the Holy Bible (the stations of the cross), Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Oedipus Rex to play out a story of modern hardships, ancient beliefs, and destabilization of the status quo. This is a beautifully told story that undulates between first and third person, giving the reader the advantage of the first-person narrative and the objective third.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK
ESPECIALLY TO LATINA WOMEN WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN A STRUGGLE WITH EITHER MEN, CHILDREN,FAMILY,OR WOMENHOOD
I BELIEVE MS. LIMON FIRST INTRODUCED OUT ANA AS A CHILD WITH A LOT GUILT AND PAIN WITH REGARDS TO HER MOTHER NOT EVER HAVING A MALE CHILD AND BEING THE ONE TO BE BLAMED FOR THAT ANA IS BROUGHT THROUGH SO MANY STRUGGLES FROM MOVING TO LOS ANGELES FROM MEXICO TO WORKING IN FIELDS AND HER FATHER REALLY NOT EVER BEING THERE FOR HER IN THE MOVE FROM MEXICO TO L.A. THEY BROUGHT ALONG THE ORPHAN FRIEND WHO LATER GETS ANA PREGANAT AND LEAVES HER WITH THE CHILD AND GOES WITH ONE OF ANA'S SISTERS...ALEJANDRA SHE ALSO GOES THROUGH THE PAIN OF LOOSING HER SON ON TOP OF THAT IS PUT IN PRISON WHEN SHE GETS OUT OF PRISION I BELEIVE THAT THIS IS WHERE MS. LIMON BROUGHT ANA OUT WITH A LOT OF COURAGE AND DIFFRENT WAY OF THINKING TOWARDS MEN PEOPLE AND SOCIETY SHE IS A DETERMIND WOMAN IN SEARCH FOR HER SON BUT IS VERY BITTER IN HER HEART SHE BEGANS HER SEARCH BUT IN THE MEAN TIME WORKS IN A FACTORY AND WORKS HER WAY UP AND SOON BECOMES THE OWNER AND VERY RICH FROM HERE ILL LEAVE IT TO YOU TO READ THE END IS VERY SCHOCKING AND LEAVES YOU WITH A ACHE IN YOUR HEART
GABY,19

with The Memories of Ana Calderon, graciela limon gives us the story of an extraordinarily complex, fiercely determined, passionate and courageous woman! -- who, from birth, struggles both internally and externally with disillusionment and suffering. in a world that attempts to pre-determine fates, ana refuses to submit and/or surrender to what's been scratched out for her on life's slate. as the novel begins, the young girl is about to embark on a geographical journey that will take her more than miles away - that will, unbeknownst to her, lead to the greatest destination one can ever hope to reach: self-acceptance, where one realizes one's own self-worth.

ana ....

who -- as a child, blessed with a very vivid imagination, escapes the routines of a rotting world in which she wants no part, by dreaming, the only way to her young mind available ....

who -- fights and dares to be different from the women around her, the "dumb animals" that bow down silently to their own spiritual deaths in shameful disgrace ....

who -- somehow finds the strength to survive the brutal blows of a "father's hatred and rejection" and the heart-breaking realities and aftermath of a "lover's cowardice, abandonment and betrayal" ....

to know, ... and watch this ana grow, ... is truly to love her!

a determined dreamer and fiery fighter, ana, thanks to the "God-given talent of her brains," learns to pick up the "shattered pieces of herself and (over time) put them back into a better place." --- but, not before life's rocky road leads her home again -- where she will find that what she seeks can only be found within -- and where she discovers that SHE must forgive herself, and love HERSELF for who she is -- that she must be HER own saviour -- and she must accept and CHOOSE to live.

in ana, limon captures, with brilliant and uncanny insight, the inner turmoil and outer struggles of a woman who defies the odds -- and survives! and has written a novel filled with often intense ups and downs and highs and lows -- such as is life!

pick up this book! and follow ana in her travels. it will do you good -- and you'll be glad you went along for the ride!

An old Mexica woman confesses her "sins" to a Spanish priest and the clash of cultures is retold and relived by the two characters once again. For my tastes this book lacks a punch and hence is less than riveting reading. There are several reviews here, including the editorial feature that give a synopsis but most fail to see the transparency of the writing. I did enjoy the book but could never feel so engrossed that I had to read bunches at a time but rather heard the "confession" of Huitzitzilin, or hummingbird, as she delivered it , in sessions. Since this is a novel I feel more liberty should have been taken to enrich the story although the "factual" information that was from an indigenous pespective was interesting. I would recommend this book for someone who is just beginning to learn about the conquest of Mexico because there is nothing Earth shaterring here. If you'd like more in depth perspectives of the conquest from an indigenous point of view I would recommend "The Broken Spears" , also "Aztec Thought and Culture" and "Native mesoamerican Spirituality" by Miguel Leon- Portillo. Also you might try the excellent history "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico" by Bernal Diaz del Castillo which is an eyewitness account(1568) from a sympathetic Captain. All in all the book was entertining but less than satisfying. Since the language is not too challenging it is appropriate for young readers. School age kids, either middle or high school children, especially those who are bilingual might really enjoy this story that is part fact and fiction

If I hadn't already read Gary Jennings "Aztec" I probably would have liked this book much better. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The main character, Huitzitzilin, is great, but the the Priest was AWFUL. One minute he'd be shocked and appalled by what she said, and the next, all of a sudden and lo and behold! he was feeling compassion and understanding for her. Completely not believable.

On the other hand, the Gary Jennings book is basically the same story (written PRIOR to Song of the Hummingbird) about an elderly Mexica man, and really built up the characters, made you a part of their lives and was a truly entertaining way to digest the history of this subject.

Read Jennings instead.

--- a blend of fact and fiction that is bound to make even historians reconsider their previously learned "facts" to date.

graciela limon, with her Song of the Hummingbird, has created a thought-provoking literary masterpiece! deep from within its lyrical pages we hear huitzitzilin (hummingbird) as she sings the songs of her ancestors. she sings to set the record/s straight, "to break the silence that has broken her people's spirit" and to tell a story that demands to be heard.

as her appointed confessor, father benito finds himself forced to sit and listen to what he, at first, considers to be mere "ramblings" of an old mexica -- who proceeds to quickly and surprisingly engage him - as she proudly, passionately and, at times even playfully re-tells the past as she knows, remembers and has lived it. after many hours, that carry over into days, spent with the outspoken and intelligent woman, the priest slowly begins to see things from a different "i" -- and not only hears huitzitzilin's words, but also begins to feel the pain of her cry -- as she paints for him a picture of a past that had never before been imagined by his foreign eyes.

although at times shocked and often astounded by hummingbird's "warblings," the young man of the cloth begins to question that which he was, as a naive school-boy, taught, and he, as a novice, learned -- and finds himself conflicted and curiously "torn" .... why had he never before conceived of the natives as having families? how is it that he never believed them to shed tears? who was more savage and barbarian? -- the bearded warriors who spilled blood in the name of the cross and salvation -- or the mexica lords with their crimson-stained sacrificial slabs -- both the practices and preachings led to torture, suffering, death and .... annihilation -- of individuals, masses, cultures and entire civilizations; losses to be mourned.

with their songs, both hummingbird and limon help to open closed hearts and broaden narrow minds by reminding listeners and readers that there is often a fine line between fact and fable; and that one must look to the past, not only with a discerning mind, but with an understanding and human heart -- as, in the end, did father benito; who, in a sense, as he re-wrote history, was reborn. thanks to his, and limon's efforts, hummingbird's song "will live on forever - because her words have been captured on paper!"

absolutely beautiful! a refreshing new perspective on the culture clash, conquest and coming together of an old and the new worlds. a book that makes a strong statement and argument (several) about and for, above all things,: understanding differences, accepting diversity and "forgiving" the most incomprehensible behaviors.

written in tenderly touching, humorously entertaining and educationally engrossing ways.

i highly recommend it to - and for - everyone!

There were more spelling, punctuation and mechanical errors in this book than I have EVER seen in any other book. I even contacted the publisher re this.

As a teacher I felt I could not recommend this editing-flawed book as it is the antithesis of the kind of careful editing I espouse.

One very humorous aside is that part of the dedication is to her editor for careful attention to detail, or something close to that.

The story is interesting, but not compelling. One section, about a home invasion, is never really explained at all. It simply happens. Why does it occur? Simply to advance the story?

Limon's book entitled Ana Calderone is better written and far better edited.

in this award-winning novel, graciela limon digs beyond borders and boundaries - and delves deep into the human psyche in an attempt to unearth and unravel the twisted roots that lie tangled beneath a decaying tree of life - in a bold exploration of human behavior.

with memorable, immortal, superbly-crafted, 3-dimensional characters that struggle to survive in an historically accurate setting depictive of civil-war-torn 1980s central america -- and with paragraph after paragraph peppered with tales of graphic abuse and abandonment endured by generation after generation -- the author poses possible and plausible explanations for the cold-hearted, calculating "peddling of death" that takes place, ironically, in the "city of the savior."

numerous biblical/religious references, as well as psychological speculations serve as catalysts for critical thought spurred as the readers witness the horrors of death and destruction through the eyes of a grieving mother/land who mourns the loss of beloved son/s barely out of their cradles. and, as luz delcano goes off "in search of (her son) bernabe," who disappears during a moment of militaristic madness, murder and mayhem -- we join her on a journey, in search of comprehension for such incomprehensible behavior.

the manner in which limon introduces international intervention is commendable -- she deals with the delicate subject of the u.s.'s (in)direct involvement deftly and directly in an enlightening way via her creation of a priest tormented by the preachings of a guilty conscience (in the voice of a dead friend and arms-negotiating accomplice)that lead/s and follow/s him to his grave.

the expert use of irony adds to the richness of the text, as foils are juggled and juxtaposed -- such as in the delcano brothers' case -- one, an army colonel, a devil in an "angel's" dis/guise, who orders the execution of his own brother -- a seminarian-reluctantly-turned-guerrilla, who is "hounded by the thought that (his) victims were his brothers," and by the awareness that "he...had become...as monstrous as the enemy."

when all is said and done, limon does a fantastic job of describing the utter futility and senselessness of such tragedy -- as she describes the executioner's dismay as he finds himself unable to savor the flavor of his vengeance -- perhaps proving the point that revenge is much more bitter than sweet; as would be the fruit on a tree that has its roots (mal)nourished by the blood-spilling of (in)human nature.

limon, with her remarkable ability to fabulously blend fiction not far removed from fact, has given us a compelling, realistic look at the dark side of human (un)kind; a wonderful, brutal view of a world gone wrong -- and one very much in need of a savior!

A very real life book on a women's search for her lost son during a time of tough times in El Salvador. A very good example of just one family's tough times during the war in El Salvador. This book is full of many relevent issues; US intervention in South America, migration to the United States, social classes in South America, and most important the struggle of the people to get there country back