The Amado Women

Southern California is ground zero for upwardly mobile middle-class Latinas. Matriarchs like Mercy Amado—despite her drunken, philandering (now ex-) husband—could raise three daughters and become a teacher. Now she watches helplessly as her daughters drift apart as adults. The Latino bonds of familia don't seem to hold. Celeste, the oldest daughter who won't speak to the youngest, is fiercely intelligent and proud. She has fled the uncertainty of her growing up in Los Angeles, California, to seek financial independence in San Jose. Her sisters did the same thing but very differently. Sylvia married a rich but abusive Anglo, and, to hide away, she immersed herself in the suburbia of her two young daughters. And Nataly, the baby, went very hip into the free-spirited Latino art world, working on her textile creations during the day and waiting on tables in an upscale restaurant by night. Everything they know comes crashing down in a random tragic moment and Mercy must somehow make what was broken whole again.Désirée Zamorano says that she was taken aback by the negative reaction to Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latina" remark. And she is appalled by stereotypical rendering of Latinas in mainstream literature, saying that true-to-life middle-class Latinas are invisible in the fabric of American culture. Zamorano is a playwright, Pushcart Prize nominee for fiction, and the director of the Community Literacy Center at Occidental College. She also collaborates with InsideOut Writers, a program that works with formerly incarcerated youth.

About the Author :
Désirée Zamorano is a playwright, Pushcart Prize nominee, and novelist. She is the director of the the Community Literacy Center at Occidental College; she also collaborates with InsideOut Writers, a program that works with formerly incarcerated youth. She lives in Pasadena, California. The Amado Women is her first trade-published novel.

Review :
"A finely rendered story of a multigenerational Latina family overcoming individual setbacks and tragedies." -- Shelf Awareness for Readers "Far from the cholos and maids of a cliche Latino Los Angeles, these beautiful Amado women dine at chichi hotels and restaurants, carry plush designer bags, and steer new cars into suburbias. But Zamorano doesn't leave it at that--because even an American dream-fulfilled life is still full of real life, and what alone endures is family."--Dagoberto Gilb, author of Before The End, After The Beginning "Desiree Zamorano's first novel explores a world of Latinas that belongs to her alone. Such originality predicts a notable career in the world of fiction. The author's voice is true, and her stories feel real."--Mark Childress, author of Crazy in Alabama and Georgia Bottoms "What's it like reading Zamorano's debut novel? Take three wildly divergent sisters, a worrying mother, and an electrifying city. Blend in the heartache of marriage and an arsenal of secrets. Serve to all your comadres with a jalapeno twist."--Stephanie Elizondo Griest, author of 100 Places Every Woman Should Go "From its shocking opening to its dream-like ending, Desiree Zamorano's The Amado Women dishes out secrets, lies, and hurts as fast as we can gobble them up." --Hometown Pasadena "Stunning, original, beautiful, mesmerizing... It's a fast paced, emotionally-packed tale that will captivate readers from the start."--Latina Book Club "A haunting, well-crafted story from a novelist at the peak of her powers."--The Rumpus "Zamorano says she wanted to portray the life of "the invisible Latina," but this novel will appeal to ... readers of any ethnic background who enjoy a fast-paced story with lots of family drama and strong characters who overcome bad relationships and the other adversities life hands them."--Library Journal "This is spot-on writing from Zamorano...The Amado Women is an important work because its women, like many others, pay a price for leaving home and seeking their versions of success ... But daughters do return, and at its conclusion the novel seems to suggest that we will eventually find that we value and embrace every part of ourselves more than before we first left."--Vickie Vertiz, Los Angeles Review of Books "A finely rendered story of a multigenerational Latina family overcoming individual setbacks and tragedies." — Shelf Awareness for Readers "Far from the cholos and maids of a cliché Latino Los Angeles, these beautiful Amado women dine at chichi hotels and restaurants, carry plush designer bags, and steer new cars into suburbias. But Zamorano doesn’t leave it at that--because even an American dream-fulfilled life is still full of real life, and what alone endures is family."—Dagoberto Gilb, author of Before The End, After The Beginning "Desiree Zamorano’s first novel explores a world of Latinas that belongs to her alone. Such originality predicts a notable career in the world of fiction. The author’s voice is true, and her stories feel real."—Mark Childress, author of Crazy in Alabama and Georgia Bottoms "What's it like reading Zamorano's debut novel? Take three wildly divergent sisters, a worrying mother, and an electrifying city. Blend in the heartache of marriage and an arsenal of secrets. Serve to all your comadres with a jalapeño twist."—Stephanie Elizondo Griest, author of 100 Places Every Woman Should Go “From its shocking opening to its dream-like ending, Désirée Zamorano’s The Amado Women dishes out secrets, lies, and hurts as fast as we can gobble them up.” —Hometown Pasadena "Stunning, original, beautiful, mesmerizing… It’s a fast paced, emotionally-packed tale that will captivate readers from the start.”—Latina Book Club "A haunting, well-crafted story from a novelist at the peak of her powers."—The Rumpus "Zamorano says she wanted to portray the life of "the invisible Latina," but this novel will appeal to … readers of any ethnic background who enjoy a fast-paced story with lots of family drama and strong characters who overcome bad relationships and the other adversities life hands them."—Library Journal "This is spot-on writing from Zamorano...The Amado Women is an important work because its women, like many others, pay a price for leaving home and seeking their versions of success ... But daughters do return, and at its conclusion the novel seems to suggest that we will eventually find that we value and embrace every part of ourselves more than before we first left."—Vickie Vértiz, Los Angeles Review of Books