Novelist Ernesto Quiñonez Discusses the Young Lords Party and Inspiration

This article is part of Palabras, the Latin Post Latino Author Series.

Novelist Ernesto Quiñonez published his first book "Bodega Dreams" in 2000. The enthralling work was promptly declared "a New Immigrant Class" by The New York Times. The narrative, with its El Barrio-raised protagonist, has received nods from Barnes & Noble, the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine, who've praised Quiñonez for his prose, evocation of life and extraordinary ability to detail passion.

The novel paid homage to the civil rights grassroots organization modeled after the Black Panthers: the Young Lords Party, who were the second generation of Latinos to actively demonstrate for Latino rights during the late 60s and early 70s.

Quiñonez was born and raised in Spanish Harlem, where the Young Lords are regarded as mythic characters. A lifetime of hearing stories encouraged him to document, in fiction, the triumphs and struggles of Latinos by placing a spotlight on the Young Lords. Quiñonez's first publication was followed by "Chango's Fire," a complex story that cemented the author's place as an international literary novelist and an illustrator of survival amid adversity.

Quiñonez effortlessly and unintentionally contributes to the U.S. Latino literary legacy by allowing his writing to breathe and leaves conversation regarding the subject matter to his readers.

"As a writer, I just write. If my work is really important, I'll leave that to the reader, which would be a great thing if, in fact, I am building anything. I just try my best to tell a good story," Quiñonez told Latin Post. "I am a Latino, so my work deals with Latino issues. But it is no different than James Joyce romanticizing the Irish culture, or Faulkner romanticizing Southern culture. I do the same for Latino culture."

The American Latino identity, bitter and sweet, is part of the greater American culture, which has also embraced KKK bigotry and numerous other things.

Quiñonez said, "The KKK is as American as apple pie, but what kind of Americans are they? That's the real question for me. What kind of Latino American am I? During the Puerto Rican Day Parade everyone is proud to be Boricua. Proud to be this and proud to be that ... But what are you doing tomorrow morning to show everyone that you are proud? What actions are you taking? Do you have a vision? A plan? Are you in school? Working? Bettering your life for your kids?"

Ecuadoran-Puerto Rican Quiñonez creates heroes and heroines looking to better themselves during bleak times and action-oriented characters who are Latino second. First, the characters help Quiñonez's family, students and anyone else in whatever way possible. His novels and his life are a frame of reference for his daughter or any "young gun Latino" who may want success in their future.

"I can write all the books in the world, but there is no better example than one's own life, and if my daughter or some young gun Latino sees that a kid from El Barrio is now a writer and an Ivy League professor he or she might say, 'If that dork did it, then I can too, and even better.' You go, man," Quiñonez said.

Edward Rivera, one of Quiñonez's professors at The City College of New York, wrote the first true novel about Spanish Harlem titled "Family Installments," Quiñonez said. Puerto Rican author Piri Thomas' memoir "Down These Streets" may be regarded as the quintessential tale of El Barrio, but Quiñonez insisted that Rivera's "Family Installments" is a "masterpiece." It is a captivating novel about a family arriving from Puerto Rico in New York City. In the work, "The violence is underneath and his prose is like Faulkner's with its long sentences and eloquence." In a conversation with Junot Diaz, Diaz told Quiñonez, "[Rivera] was a better writer than you or I, will ever be." Quiñonez agreed.

When Quiñonez was in school, Hispanic Heritage Month wasn't yet established, and Quiñonez recalls Black History Month in February, whereby students would sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and "Sweet Chariot" and read lot of Langston Hughes poems. But, there was no honoring Latino American culture or voices. Despite this, Quiñonez has said that he's not one to dwell in victimization.

"Yes, the cards were stacked against me, but I had a vision. And though 'The Man' is real, and is out there to throw roadblocks at you because you are Latino, that never took away my focus and drive in accomplishing what I was after," Quiñonez said. "[Put] aside hate, resentment, defeat and all those qualities that make victims, because those in power don't want you to succeed, they just want you to just b*tch and b*tch and bi*tch, and stay home b*tching about how unfair it is and how proud you are to be Latino."

"And yes, it's all true. ... It's unfair. But if we embrace patience, hard work and vision, we will achieve. As Latino/as we can aspire to the highest levels, regardless of what the evil side of 'Amerikkka' throws at us," Quiñonez said.