Prietita and the Ghost Woman is a Mexican folktale book about La Llorona and Prietita. This book has a special and yet meaningful message that the author Gloria Anzaldua wants readers to understand and think about. She states, "I want to encourage children to look beneath the surface of what things seem to be in order to discover the truths that may be hidden. In our Mexican culture La Llorona is a legendary woman figure, who is known as the weeping woman, who is in search for her children in bodies of water. In this story, Prietita visits a "Curandera" (Healer) because her mother is deeply ill; the only thing that can save her and heal her is the rue plant. Unfortunately, the Curandera has ran out of rue, therefore Prietita must search and find it in the deep dark forest. Prietita must be brave, face her fears and follow through on this mission. In the forest, she encounters many animals such as the jaguarundi and lightening bugs, that guide her way in the deep and dark forest. As she walks deeper into the forest, she is lead to a body of water where she frightfully encounters "La Llorona." In a trembling voice she asks her, "Please Señora, can you help me find some rue?" La Llorona guides her way to the rue plant and Prietita is able to take a branch of this plant that will save her mother's life. Prietita is truly grateful for La Llorona's help and is no longer terrified of her. She realizes that La Llorona is not like everyone thinks of her to be. She is a woman who is compassionate and very helpful. Her intentions are not those of taking/stealing children but are those of a helping female figure who does good and helps save Prietita's mother's life.
I definitely recommend this book, especially if you have children in your classroom that know of La Llorona. This book helps and gives them a different perspective of the legendary figure they group up hearing about. This story helps them realize there is more to a person than what he/she may seem to be. This a a great story with an important message!
Fascinating. Thanks for the recommendation! Speaking of looking beneath the surface, this review drove me to Wikipedia, where I found this interesting perspective: "La Llorona is also sometimes identified with La Malinche, the Nahua woman who served as Cortés's interpreter and who some say was betrayed by the Spanish conquistadors. In one folk story of La Malinche, she became Hernán Cortés' mistress and bore him a child, only to be abandoned so that he could marry a Spanish lady (although no evidence exists that La Malinche killed her children). Aztec pride drove La Malinche to acts of vengeance. In this context, the tale compares the Spanish discovery of the New World and the demise of indigenous culture after the conquest with La Llorona's loss."
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