Luis Alberto Urrea
Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea, a sequel to Urrea’s The Hummingbird’s Daughter, is a fictional biography that continues the story of Urrea’s great aunt, Teresita Urrea, known as the Saint of Cabora. Teresita was reputed to have the power to heal the sick and infirm by laying her hands. Because she ostensibly inspired Indian uprisings in Mexico and was wanted by the Mexican government, she had to flee the country and move to the United States.
The novel tracks Teresita’s movements in America, opening with Teresita and her father in Arizona. She marries for love, but when her husband violently abuses her and is incarcerated, she tries to forge an independent life for herself. She forms an alliance with a consortium that handles her travels and her money, financially exploiting her ability to heal the sick. She crisscrosses the country, living in Texas, California, St. Louis, and New York. She is treated as a celebrity and welcomed by high society wherever she goes, adopting the clothing and mannerisms, while simultaneously attending to the sick, the poor, and the needy who seek her help. She gives birth to two daughters, contracts tuberculosis, and dies in Arizona surrounded by family.
The strength of the novel lies in Urrea’s ability to capture time and place with vibrancy and sensory detail. Teresita’s navigation of the country by boat and train at the turn of the century allows for a vivid description of the American landscape, its cities, and the clothing and mannerisms of the people.
But this five-hundred-page novel has a plot that rambles. Its episodic nature consists of Teresita being tossed from one location to the next. She is portrayed as a victim who is more acted upon than acting. She lacks agency and is swept along by various men who take advantage of her abilities and exploit her gifts for monetary gain. It is only at the end of the novel that she finally asserts herself and refuses to acquiesce to their demands. Her behavior reflects the nature of the times she lived in when women were faced with very limited opportunities to forge a path for themselves independent of men. But it is disappointing to see the vibrant, lively young girl in The Hummingbird’s Daughter become the lackluster character she is in this novel.