About the book from the author

 

This narrative was translated from a trilogy of scripts that were adapted for the screen and/or the stage. The original scripts are musicals, so there is an element of original music in the storyline that is portrayed in the way my predecessors and writing inspirations have done before. In many ways, I owe this to J.R.R Tolkien, who is by far, one of my greatest inspirations. Even though our genres are vastly different, the way Tolkien included songs and poems in his prose inspired me to do the same. So, most of the original lyrics and poetry of the scripts are included in this book, allowing the reader to “imagine” the musical accompaniment.

This novel is peppered with Spanish, in the way Chicanos and Latinos raised in this country speak. But I wrote the book in a way that the Spanish is translated in the character’s dialogue itself, or I’ll use context to offer clues as to the meaning of certain phrases. So, even if you know nothing of Spanish, you shouldn’t have a hard time understanding the prose. But most of us Latinos that were raised in the United States speak a form of “Spanglish” and I had to portray that language to make the dialogue authentic. There is also this magnificent search engine called “Google” – so if you are at a loss with a phrase, “Google it carnales!”

I also wanted to mention, even though this is a work of fiction, most of what you are about to read is based on actual events, both learned through historical records and through interviews where I gained personal accounts. So, the actions perpetrated by the police and servicemen stationed in East Los Angeles during WWII, and many other racist accounts, are based on real events. I urge you to look into the history of the Zoot Suit Riots and the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial, as it was the straw that broke the camel’s back in this wartime saga.

I hope by bringing these terrible accounts into light, the coveted racism of the past, I can assist the communities of Latinos, African-Americans, Caucasians and good, honest and righteous people of this world, to come together to fight racism, oppression, and to stamp out supremacy in all forms. We are all one people. We need to come together more than ever, or we are doomed to repeat the atrocities of the past!

In conclusion, at the time that I wrote this novel and its coinciding trilogy of scripts, the law banning zoot suits still stands. It serves as an insult to the memory of the Chicanos, Blacks and minorities of East Los Angeles that were affected by the oppression that led to the Zoot Suit Riots. We hope this novel/series will bring enough light to the matter, to finally have the law repealed. Thank you!

O. Vazquez