Summary of Presentation by Galveston Reads Author Luis Alberto Urrea

By Casey Canton on Friday, February 18, 2011

Last night I attended Luis Alberto Urrea’s presentation on his book “Into the Beautiful North” at Galveston College. When I walked in, I was relieved to see they had light snacks and refreshments, so I took a cookie and a cup of juice and found a seat. The room filled up fast and they had to bring in dozens of extra chairs to accommodate the crowd. It was nice to see so many people interested in reading! I saw several familiar faces there including my government professor and his wife, friends from the Rosenberg library, and a couple of friends from around the campus.

I was pleasantly surprised at the entertainment value of the presentation. Urrea is a pretty funny guy and has a sly way of making his audience chuckle while concurrently taking in the gravity of his message. He talked for about an hour about where he grew up, how he came to America, and told stories of his family. He explained how he incorporated family and friends from his journey into the book with heartfelt meaning and dedication. His stories captivated me and I found myself enthralled as the words danced off his tongue with lingual finesse. It mimicked the feeling of the climax of a really good movie.

Urrea closed his presentation with a Q & A session in which he answered questions from the audience for about thirty minutes, during which he mentions that the book has a movie in the works, as does one of his other books, “The Hummingbird’s Daughter.” After meticulously answering several questions from the crowd, he proceeded to the back of the room where he signed books and chatted with people as they moved through the line.

This was my first experience of attending a book signing and presentation of this nature. Having only read a few chapters of “Into the Beautiful North,” I am now even more enthusiastic about diving in and finishing this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and I am grateful that the possibility for extra credit in class lured me in. In the future I will probably jump at the chance for an opportunity like this.

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