El Hermano Paperback – February 1, 2017

The book embraces Christianity in a time and place quite exotic from my life. The Lenten season of 1928 becomes quite bizarre as 5 male cousins in their teens navigate life in a small, rural, Hispanic, New Mexico village. Community, love, respect, romance, and the supernatural surround this well written tale of Christian faith. The storytelling is quite engaging, and I truly loved reading this book. It even taught me a little more Spanish than I already knew, but don't be intimidated, none is required to read or understand this book.

It was amazing to me how warmly familiar this book seemed. As I read, I was reminded of sitting on the sidelines and listening as my grandparents, aunts and uncles and older relatives spoke of growing up in the southern Colorado towns of Sopris and Saint Thomas, Long's Canyon and others, all located very near the Colorado/New Mexico border.These towns are gone now; the entire area lies underneath the Trinidad Lake dam. And although Carmen Baca's sweeping tale of a 15-year-old boy coming of age and becoming a member of the Penitente Brotherhood takes place in Canoncito, New Mexico--a small township near Las Vegas, New Mexico--many of the customs, commerce and religious practices were much the same.Little was known by my own family members of the local Penitentes. That Brotherhood kept to themselves, apparently, and were a mystery to locals who were not members of the sect. Reading about the Hermanos of Canoncito was enlightening and inspiring to me.I was enthralled with mentions of La Llorona, La Muerte and Brujas in the form of fireballs, since I grew up hearing stories of all these things from my great-aunts and cousins. I have even heard similar tales in central Mexico from my sisters-in-law.I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone curious about the Penitentes, or about the New Mexican lifestyle in the early 20th Century.

Carmen Baca charms her readers with the fictional story of 15-year-old Jose -- a story loosely based on her father's passion and desire to be accepted into the village morada as a Hermano. Jose and his "gang" of cousins and friends struggle with the transition from mischievous boys to responsible young men.Jose's story takes place during the late 1920s through the early 1930s -- a far more innocent time than those we live in today. It is a time when the community church and morada were the center of village life. Baca's prose captures the intensity and importance of tradition, religion and ritual for all who live in this remote Mora Valley community -- a community where love, respect and caring for one another motivate the residents.Especially touching is how Jose's relationship develops with his grandmother, both of whom are blessed with "second sight". As is his relationship with "Primo Victoriano -- the village elder. The more responsibility Jose takes on for Victoriano's care, the closer he becomes to his goal of manhood in the eyes of his contemporaries and elders. El Hermano  by Carmen Baca

Ms. Baca's writing takes the reader into a time and culture not known by many, including myself. She paints a wonderful story of five young boys (Jose, Beto, Tino, Pedro, and Horacio) growing up in the canyons of New Mexico. As I read, I learned of beautiful New Mexican traditions, and culture. I laughed aloud, was deeply touched by their loyalty to their families and to each other, and by their faith. I purposely read this book slowly because I was savoring every word, like a fine meal. I cannot wait until my travels take me back into the beautiful land, that this story is set in.

A tender recollection of life in Northern New Mexico as recalled by the author's father's prayer book. She writes in such a way as I felt I could have been part of the story, and I was able to verify much of what she was talking about from a neighbor, who has a Morada on his property in Taos and two brothers who are Hermanos. Thoroughly enjoyed it, and will keep in my New Mexico library. I am hoping for a fourth book.

This story is amazing, in plot, characters, and structure. I am a dedicated writer and I like to read stories in and outside my genre. Rarely do I come across a book where the author has done such a terrific job. With this story, I am actually learning from studying several things as I go along, including word usage, structure, and how the characters interact. The voice is as if José, his comrades, and I, are sitting around a bonfire, chatting. There are heartfelt moments, humor, suspense, and excitement. I am further amazed to learn this is a story based on true facts and real events. This book will be placed in that number one spot on the shelf every writer has.

What can I say about this book? This book isn't only a local treasure it should be a national treasure. It is the story of 15 year old Jose and his cousins as they turn into men, back in the mountains of New Mexico in 1928.The story is told during lent as Jose and his cousins want to became Hermano's a catholic tradition for young men. The conflict is real as it is a spiritual battle as Jose discovers he has a spiritual gift. This book is written so good, I didn't want to finish it. I just wanted to stay lost in the story. Highly recommended.

Carmen Baca's book El Hermano is like listening to a beautiful and magical song. The words, sentences, paragraphs and pages are written masterfully, with an artistry all their own by an author who clearly loved the story she told. It was enjoyable beyond belief and once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down . Don't forget to read the afterword - like the rest of the book, it's an education without the stuffiness of a classroom. At a time when we need to understand the rich and varied culture Hispanics bring to our country, this book practically said it all.

With El Hermano, Carmen Baca transported me to a very intimate, endearing and close-knit community with charming characters and captivating stories bursting with traditions and ethnic folklore. A lovely read highly recommended.

I don't usually read this genre, but I found it intriguing and amazingly well written. I can see exactly why other reviewers gave it five stars.There is no doubt in my mind that Carmen poured her heart and her soul into this novel. Through her story, she opened to us a world that may have otherwise remained hidden to those who weren't raised in New Mexico.If you haven't read it yet, you should. :)

Basé aux histoires de son enfance, qui se déroulent à la fin des années 20 dans un village du Nouveau Mexique, Carmen Baca nous amène avec son propre style et sa maîtrise de l'art d’écrire dans son monde si spécial et magique.Je étais charmé et je regrette que El Hermano n'est pas encore traduit en français pour que mes amis puissent profiter de la richesse et la beauté de cet oeuvre d'art.