Luis Alberto Urrea's new novel, Queen of America (Back Bay Books), completes the two-volume saga that began with The Hummingbird's Daughter (Back Bay Books). Together, both novels follow the journey of Teresita Urrea, a Mexican curandera who finds herself in America at the technologically miraculous turn of the twentieth century. In Part One of a special two-part interview, Urrea talks about the mystical and political border crossings the books required of Teresita – and him. (Part Two airs March 7.)
Read an excerpt from The Hummingbird's Daughter.