In Names above Houses, Oliver de la Paz uses both prose and verse poems to create the magical realm of Fidelito Recto - a boy who wants to fly - and his family of Filipino immigrants. Fidelito's mother, Maria Elena, tries to keep her son grounded while struggling with her own moorings. Meanwhile, Domingo, Fidelito's fisherman father, is always at sea, even when among them. From the archipelago of the Philippines to San Francisco, horizontal and vertical movements shape moments of displacement and belonging for this marginalized family. Fidelito approaches life with a sense of wonder, finding magic in the mundane and becoming increasingly uncertain whether he is in the sky or whether his feet are planted firmly on the ground.
- ISBN10 1299050689
- ISBN13 9781299050686
- Publish Date 1 January 2001
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 9 June 2015
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Southern Illinois University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 95
- Language English