num_pages: 240
description: Rocío Esquibel is a girl growing up in a Southern New Mexico town with her mother and sister. She defines her neighborhood by its trees—the willow, the apricot and the one they call the marking-off tree. Rocio knows she was born in the closet where she and her sister now take turns looking at the picture of Jesus whose eyes light up in the dark. But at night she enters a magical realm, and in her imaginary Blue Room, she can fly. At first she is a mesmerized observer of the lives of older girls and their boyfriends, but as she finds a job at the local hospital, and discovers a passion for drama and stories, Rocio begins to make her own choices in love and work.Alive with the taste of tamales and the lyrical tang of the Esquibels’ talk, The Last of the Menu Girls becomes a rich celebration of Chicano culture, and a universal story of finding one’s way in the world.
language: English
title: The Last of the Menu Girls
titlecomplete: The Last of the Menu Girls
genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Womens, Coming Of Age, Realistic Fiction
ratings_count: 206
awards: awardedAt: 1609488000000
name: NMBA Richard Harris Award
publisher: Vintage