Tree of Sighs
Lucrecia Guerrero grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona. She is the daughter of an Anglo-American mother and Mexican father, and her writing often reflects her bilingual and bicultural upbringing. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Antioch Review and The Louisville Review, and Chasing Shadows, a collection of linked short stories, was published by Chronicle Books in 2000. She received a Christopher Isherwood Foundation Award based on a portion of Tree of Sighs.
After the sudden and tragic death of her parents, Altagracia faces an uncertain future with a bitter and secretive grandmother. When the two sink into poverty, the young girl ends up with a cruel woman who takes her to the United States, changes her name to Grace, and puts her to work as a full-time domestic servant. Tree of Sighs is the story of Grace's journey to uncover her past as she straddles two cultures in the search for her own identity.