White Bread Competition — Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez

Fiction. Latina American Studies, This novel takes place in the picturesque city of San Antonio, Texas, with its rich Mexican-American culture providing the ideal backdrop for the interconnected stories in this intriguing novel for young adults/teenagers. Luz, the young Latina protagonist, will represent her state in the upcoming national spelling bee and her participation signifies a substantial milestone of her community's sense of pride and achievement. However her success triggers a variety of emotions from her family and community as they come to terms with how they feel about Luz as a Latina participating in a national spelling bee. This is the first full-length book by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernadez who previously had her stories published in journals including Rock Falls Review, Rain Dog Review, and Atom Mind.