RANCHO WEIRDO
Author: Chester, Laura
Artist: Yoo, Haeri
2008
978-0-9779975-9-6
eighteen dollars
With more than 50, full-color, hilarious and quirky drawings by Haeri Yoo.
Life on the U.S./Mexican border presents a clash of cultures and expectations that is explored with insight and dark humor in Laura Chester’s new collection of short stories, RANCHO WEIRDO. Chester’s short fiction, accompanied by Haeri Yoo’s quirky drawings, challenge our perceptions of the new Southwest—which includes snowbirds, illegal immigrants, Native Americans, ranchers, and cowboys—whose fates intertwine in the harsh and beautiful Arizona landscape.
Chester, who lives in a remote area near the border, turns Southwestern stereotypes inside out in these bizarre and often hilarious stories. in RANCHO WEIRDO, when a woman offers food to illegal immigrants, they want a swim and a house tour, or when a New Yorker building a winter home in the desert encounters an Apache Indian’s disturbing spirit, the unanticipated consequences offer Chester an opportunity to examine her characters’ fears. RANCHO WEIRDO demonstrates an intimate knowledge of the underlying conflicts and comic possibilities inherent in border life.
Instead of preaching from a politically-correct platform, Chester illuminates other prejudices via a wide array of characters, including a Vietnamese student turned manipulative house sitter, a homophobic New York City businessman who finds himself attracted to a Sufi tennis pro who has taken a vow of silence, an African-American personal trainer who caters to the “seagull set,” and a camp for disturbed girls who have barely survived the 9/11 airplane bombings.
» Read a sample chapter from the book (PDF format)
» See select illustrations by Haeri Yoo
Reviews:
» Review from Senior Women Web
» Review from Tucson Weekly
» Review from Kirkus Discoveries
» Review from Hipster Book Club
» Review from The Short Review
» Interview from The Short Review
Goodreads
Amazon
About the Artist:
Haeri Yoo
About the Author:
Laura Chester
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