“Stella Pope Duarte is a writer who will not be stopped. Her story takes its power from a larger love, and the quest here is as pressing as any I’ve read. This is a novel that looks at a rocky, uncertain time, with the intention of helping. It does." — Ron Carlson, author of The Hotel Eden and At the Jim Bridge
An inspiring novel about family, the memories of war, and a woman who valiantly rallies herself and those she loves into reconciling with the past
Stella Pope Duarte’s strong and musical voice is reminiscent of Laura Esquivel and Alice Hoffman. Let Their Spirits Dance is a moving, spirited story of a family who takes a trip to the Vietnam Memorial thirty years after the war, and whose trip evolves into a spiritual journey, towards healing and redemption.
Teresa Ramirez, is a schoolteacher from El Cielito in Arizona. Still haunted by the death of her brother Jesse in the Vietnam War. Her mother cherishes the memory of her son’s words to her as he boarded the plane for Vietnam, when he told her she would hear his voice again. When Teresa’s ailing mother sees a photograph of the Vietnam War Memorial, she makes a vow to touch his name on the Wall, and this begins a journey that changes the lives of Teresa and her family forever.
In this powerfully evocative novel, Pope Duarte connects family, friends, and an entire nation with the names on the Wall, honoring the men and women who served in Vietnam as well as those who watched and waited, but never forgot.
About the Author :
Stella Pope Duarte began her literary career in 1995 after she had a dream in which her deceased father related to her that her destiny was to become a writer. Her first collection of short stories, Fragile Night, (Bilingual Review Press, 1997) won a creative writing fellowship from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and was named a candidate for the prestigious, Pen West Fiction Award. In 2001 Ms. Duarte was awarded a second creative writing fellowship for her current novel, Let Their Spirits Dance. (HarperCollins, 2002). HarperCollins has described Duarte as a "major, new literary voice in America." Ms. Duartes work has won awards and honors nationwide, including a nomination for the Pushcart Prize in Literature. Let Their Spirits Dance is on the Book Sense List, and was awarded the AZ Highways Fiction Award for 2003, and nominated as a ONEBOOKAz in 2004. Ms. Duarte won the 2003 "Excellence in Latino Arts & Culture," Award, presented by Valle del Sol. In 2004, she received the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Award for an excerpt from her current work in progress, The Women of JuÁrez., and in 2005 she was awarded the "Outstanding Alumni of the Year," by the American Association of Community Colleges. She is a highly sought-after inspirational speaker for audiences of all ages, on topics related to her work, as well as on issues related to: womens rights, culture, diversity, leadership, education, literacy, Chicano/Latino history, writing, and storytelling. Ms. Duarte was born and raised in la Sonorita barrio in South Phoenix.
Review :
"A delightful, heartening first novel." - Denver Rocky Mountain News
"Duarte is a magical weaver with a sure hand and a pure heart." - Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and A Theory of Relativity
"Stella Pope Duarte's novel is utterly alive and feels absolutely true! The characters and the story had me hooked!" - Victor Villasenor, author of Rain of Gold and Thirteen Senses
"Stella Pope Duarte is a writer who will not be stopped. Her story takes its power from a larger love, and the quest here is as pressing as any I've read. This is a novel that looks at a rocky, uncertain time, with the intention of helping. It does." - Ron Carlson, author of The Hotel Eden and At the Jim Bridge
"Intelligent, unpretentious and appealing." - Kirkus Reviews
"This is a healing odyssey back from a family's unresolved past." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Duarte proves herself a writer with great style and a unique voice that will hopefully continue to speak for la gente." - The Record
"In this, Duarte's first novel, intelligence, humor and family passions are skillfully and unpretentiously woven into our hearts." - Today's Arizona Woman
"Duarte is a competent storyteller who gracefully inserts background vignettes that give breadth and texture to the characters and their relationships." - Arizona Daily Star
"Deeply felt and often moving, this is an impressive first novel." - Booklist
"The details of human passion at its best and worst propel this novel into an unforgettable page-turning experience guiding Let Their Spirits Dance into unpredictable and believable directions." - El Paso Times
