Some books leave us free and some books make us free.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, lecturer, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century

Late this afternoon I was at Eastwind Books of Berkeley because my books had arrived. I was in a fog as I held the book in my hands and then opened to the title page to sign the pre-ordered books. The book had some weight to it, which surprised me. The galleys, of course, were in paperback, and light in the hand, but I was still amazed by the book’s heft. Maybe I was just in a daze period. After 18 years, after a grueling eight-month editing/production process, after never imagining I would be in this position when 2015 arrived, and after feeling as if I was going to miss the 50th Anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike altogether, I am finally here.

And tomorrow late afternoon, we journey to Delano for reading, signing, communing, and meeting new friends.

Fresh out of the box.

Finished signing the pre-ordered books for good friends, translators, family friends, relatives, and even Oregon State University’s Ethnic Studies Program – #GoBeavers!