Color : Latino voices in the Pacific Northwest

Color presents poignant conversations with people who have come from a variety of Central and South American cultures and backgrounds. The author based her writing on exchanges she witnessed through her work as an interpreter and advocate for Spanish-speaking immigrants. Her narratives give voice to their hopes, dreams, and life experiences--from the ordinary to the overwhelmingly difficult.

In Color , a mother tells how as a little girl, she swept a dirt floor, cooked over a wood fire, and washed clothes in a muddy river. "Can you imagine being here, in a nice apartment, how fun it is for me to keep house?" A man is unable to comprehend the poor work ethic of his fellow employees. "Minimum wage is more per hour than I would make at home by a long shot. So I work as hard as I can...but my citizen coworkers are always complaining. They even tell me not to work so hard because I make them look bad!" A father speaks of the intense hunger he experienced as a child, and then recalls, "The first time my son said, 'I don't like this food, ' I burst out crying. My wife thought I was upset at his bad manners, but I was just so glad my son had the luxury of not liking food...that my children have never known hunger."

Whether about love, work, play, finances, or family, these accounts illuminate cultural differences in attitudes, rights, and values, and also pose intriguing questions about the effects of prosperity. Lorane A. West paints a very real picture of life for immigrants in the United States, and through her portraits, gives Americans a glimpse of themselves that may both surprise and challenge.

1. Adoption--Infertile woman offers to let her husband impregnate someone else

2. Alone--War survivor has to get used to being alone when husband deported

3. Alzheimer's--Man won't abandon wife into assisted living center; he keeps her at home

4. Anesthesia--Man was awakened from his anesthesia overdose by sound of beloved voice

5. Animal--Man with severe injury remembers his wilder days; now he is jealous of his wife

6. Argentina--Children and parents choose between their two cultures and family is split

7. Arthritis--Elderly Peruvian lady with arthritis is told she "walks like a Mexican bandit"

8. Artificial Life--Man admires his aged mother's recovery on hospital burn unit

9. Auto Tech--Mexican man feels ripped off; returns to Guadalajara for auto tech training

10. Back--Injured man has trouble understanding Labor and Industries program

11. Beatings--Battered Mexican woman gets cancer; still hopes for change

12. Bible--Man explains how he struggles with the devil to read the Bible better

13. Big--Large Salvadoran lady gets plenty of attention from Latinos on the street

14. Book--Woman wants to write a book about U.S. experience, warning others not to come

15. Braces--Mother and son are stuck in braces when husband is laid off and loses insurance

16. Breast--Indian woman argues with doctor to get her newborn to breast and bless him

17. Bro--Brother explains why he's so eager to cheer his sister-in-law on during childbirth

18. Brother--Honduran brother-in-law moves in to care for wife while husband out of town

19. Bullet--Mexican man remembers how he was shot in the head by his pregnant girlfriend

20. Calendar Boy--Disappointed/bragging father whose son quit school to be calendar boy

21. Chains--Lonely professional woman feels invisible; only known as a nanny now

22. Charity Care--Man whose wife has cancer finds out about Charity Care program

23. Cholo--Grandma tells about baggy-pants boy who married her disabled granddaughter

24. Choose--Married Mexican man with girlfriend has to choose between women

25. Church--Women invite interpreter to attend church with them

26. Class--South American man regrets having married his lower class countrywoman

27. Classes--Mother takes parenting classes to learn how to control her temper

28. Crossing--Woman with cancer tells about crossing the border with her grandchildren

29. Daughter--Dad comes to terms with having daughter--instead of son--during labor

30. Dear Mami--Letter from dead baby to grieving mother, thanking her for his short life

31. Death--Pregnant woman has near-death experience as she gets infection and loses her baby

32. Deer--Salvadoran grandson wouldn't mind Grandma back home; reunited with her in U.S.

33. Diabetes--Pregnant mom with diabetes talks about how she lost her first child to disease

34. Doctor--Man with bad surgery outcome regrets he ever went to the doctor originally

35. Dog--Mother-in-law explains how men need space to be comfortable in a marriage

36. Donors--Grandma has many potential donors, but would prefer her husband's kidney

37. Down's--Father of newborn with Down's syndrome upset that doctor didn't explain better

38. Economist--University student is saved from being gang-raped when she is recognized

39. Eighteen--Young married woman wonders why everyone mad at her for being pregnant

40. Embroidery--Mexican woman working in U.S. factory misses warmth of family home

41. English--Woman has to help her Puerto Rican boyfriend propose to her in Spanish

42. Epilepsy--Uninsured man with uncontrolled seizures wonders if there might be a cure

43. Example--Christian father explains how his family is an example to others in community

44. Expense--Grandpa leaves hospital against medical advice when janitor tells him the cost

45. Eye Doctor--Mother tells how painful it is to watch rough doctor handling her son

46. Fallopian Tubes--Housekeeper pays cash to straighten Fallopian tubes

47. Family--Large family from eastern Washington in Seattle hospital waiting room

48. Family Bed--Mom talks about Latino families sleeping together in big, cozy group

49. Farm--Man fishes in Alaska to save up to buy his own farm in Mexico and get a wife

50. Father and Mother--New dad spoonfeeds new mother, since her family is far away

51. Fifteen--Man laments that his fifteen-year-old wife seems too young to become a mother

52. Finally--Seventy-three-year-old man explains how he is the father of a twenty-year-old son

53. Five Years--Birthing mother remembers interpreter who was more than family

54. Follow-Up--Man calls Public Health to get catheter removed when no one will treat him

55. Froggie--Woman remembers how neighbor arranged for her kidnapping for ransom

56. Frown--Unhappy hypochondriac wants to buy a happy face to gain credibility

57. Frustration--Mentally ill boy chokes another student to get his backpack back

58. God--Mexican woman can't forgive abusive dad who "found God" in old age

59. Good Try--Mexican soccer coach cannot understand why white parents yell "good try"

60. Goodbye--Dying baby's heart keeps beating until dad holds baby in his arms

61. Grandson--Child left behind wondered if his parents didn't want him

62. Gratitude--Immigrant feels sad that so many citizens are ungrateful

63. Greenery--Grandma talks about going into the forest to pick bouquet greenery

64. Grief--Grieving sister thinks she must have had heart attack, cannot believe it was just grief

65. Grumpy--Grumpy old man suffers at graveside service for his wife of sixty years

66. Hard Work--Father bewildered by son's choice to forego hard work and attend college

67. Healer--Healer disappointed that she cannot cure granddaughter's diabetes

68. Heart--Eastern Washington heart patient amused at idiopathic cardiomyopathy diagnosis

69. Heart Transplant--Man refuses heart transplant, prefers to keep his own heart and die

70. High Protein--Couple informed that the mother's high protein may mean birth defects

71. Home--Mother explains why they left their children in home country

72. Hunger--Disabled man recalls childhood starvation, grateful his children have enough food

73. Hurting Myself--Post-traumatic war victim tries to explain why suicide a relief

74. Hysterectomy--Woman finds out after cancer treatment that she is permanently infertile

75. Ice--Woman complains that drug and alcohol counselor is as cold as ice to her drinking husband

76. Identity--IRS tries to get woman to pay double taxes when someone uses her ID

77. Jalisco--Mexican woman compares poverty there and here--no money vs. no time

78. Jealousy--Pregnant woman may miscarry after jealous fight with boyfriend leads to a fall

79. Joking Around--Mexican father gets closer to son when they live alone together in U.S.

80. Joy--Older mother enjoys childbirth so much she has symptoms of extreme joy during labor

81. Junior--Father had a lot of dreams for his terminally ill son; it is wrenching to let him go

82. Keeping House--Housewife talks about the joys of keeping a nice, clean house

83. Knitting--Volunteer knitter for the Red Cross loves helping babies have hand-knit items

84. Las Malvinas--Argentinean vows to never speak English after Falkland Islands attack

85. Last Time--Mother frustrated when emergency room won't treat her son's cold symptoms

86. Laughter--Joking woman with heart defect laughs her way through heart procedure

87. Leukemia--Uncle is very angry that his young nephew has leukemia and no chance at this life

88. Lie--Man gets up courage to confront past partner who infected him with the AIDS virus

89. Living Will--Man due for surgery becomes anxious when asked to make a living will

90. Low Class--Woman laments over embarrassing lover she has found in the United States

91. Luck--Cancer patient feels she was lucky to be hit by a bus because it taught her patience

92. Maid--Maid talks about how sad and lonely it is to be a hotel maid cleaning rooms in silence

93. Memory--Man explains why social worker's advice to remember dead brother is inadequate

94. Men Doctors--Woman did not like two young men poking around her private parts

95. Miniskirt--Woman doesn't understand why her boyfriend wants her to dress sexy

96. Miracle--Grandma prays for eye doctor to be able to keep helping others regain sight

97. Mitten--Five family members want to share hotel room to support Grandma with cancer

98. Mom--Woman misses mom while her husband pressures her to grow up and get over it

99. Money--Wife regrets husband's prosperity, since he has become self-important

100. Monopoly--Mexican complains about nationalized industries in Mexico

101. Morphine--Grandpa on morphine flirts with hospital personnel

102. Mother Mary--Mother prays to Virgin to convince Jesus to hear her prayers for baby

103. Mother's Day--Furious Dad threatens son who only sends flowers on Mother's Day

104. Nun--Would-be nun with bad knees married poor charity student and lives to regret it

105. Nurses--Mexican woman is pleased at how the U.S. nurses treat her during childbirth

106. Old Age--Grandma continues to have fun and dance in spite of grumpy Grandpa

107. Once--Woman gets pregnant after having sex once, and chooses never to marry

108. One Man--Son stays with Mom who never remarried when his father died

109. Onion Stalk--Eastern Washington farmworker loses eyeball from onion stalk scratch

110. Opening--Laboring mom recalls abuse, delays labor, then focuses back in on baby

111. Patron Saint--Mom names ill baby after Saint, does rituals she promised to God

112. Picture--Son buys his mom a color television, and she tapes his picture to it for all to see

113. Plugged--School and hospital both push mother to get her son's ear "plugged"

114. Pork--Mexican Mom has paralyzed baby who is now losing insurance

115. Praying--Mexican minister getting fertility treatment, praying with wife for a baby

116. Professional--Woman misses follow-up Pap smear because of pushy male interpreter

117. Public Charge--Woman refuses assistance to avoid becoming public charge

118. Pulling Teeth--Medical query seems repetitive to man who's never been to a doctor

119. Quiet--Young mother tries anything to get her child to be quiet at the doctor's office

120. Ranch--Ranch man wants city wife to move to countryside to his family farm

121. Rancor--Man who mistreated stepdaughters won't let them see their dying mother

122. Rape--Woman admires young rape victim's difficult choice to bear and raise the child

123. Remission--Husband takes issue with doctors when wife's cancer comes back

124. Ride--Woman claims she stole a husband only because his wife accused her of doing it

125. Royal Jelly--Diabetic woman with cancer wishes she could still take royal jelly

126. Running--Thirteen-year-old boy with alcoholic father runs away to ease his pain

127. Rush--Pregnant woman frustrated with doctor who rushes her during appointment

128. Sacred Heart--Woman remembers Virgin of the Sacred Heart coming and healing her

129. School Bus--Child-loving bus driver for the disabled gets laid off

130. Scolding--Newborn baby boy gets his first scolding from grandma at mom's bedside

131. Separation--Woman tells of husband leaving her for having daughter instead of son

132. Share--Mexican woman has baby with married man, then his family arrives

133. Shooting Blanks--Man tries everything to relax his wife for pregnancy

134. Soap Opera--Housewife explains why she likes to watch Mexican soap operas

135. Son--Proud new father brags about his manly newborn son peeing high into the air

136. Sorry--Doctor from eastern Washington says she's sorry she misdiagnosed leukemia

137. Spooked--Mexican grandma spooked by family member with the evil eye

138. Stain--Wife catches husband with stain in his pants after he's watched porn with friends

139. Staying--New father who had no dad talks about plans to always be there for his family

140. Stingy--Woman tells about how she fled farm because mother-in-law was so stingy

141. Strain--Mother believes baby's herniated umbilicus caused by lack of attention

142. Stroke--Woman made mute by stroke can no longer speak on her own behalf

143. Taking Care--Husband is convinced that early withdrawal works better than condoms

144. Taxi--Woman has such a bad experience with government taxi system, she takes the bus

145. Thin--Starving woman goes into labor early, explains how she understands WIC program

146. Thirteen--Woman was forced to marry in California at age thirteen by angry father

147. Threat--Salvadoran coach not intimidated by soccer player's dad's threats

148. Toe--Mexican man has industrial accident, grieves lost toe during emergency room visit

149. Tooth--Farmworker gets brain damage when no dentist will treat him for tooth infection

150. Trade--Cuban man sorry he lost all he had and never valued when he moved here for work

151. Transportation--Parents trying to get dead twins to California for burial

152. Undissipated Rage--Woman explains her father's cause of death as undissipated rage

153. Unforgiven--Mexican Mom won't forgive her young daughter for taking boyfriend

154. Virgin--Woman finds out that her baby's father is seeking a young virgin to marry

155. Warm--Woman loves having a warm, affectionate Latino husband

156. Water--Preemie baby with multiple health problems; mom tries to feel grateful not worse

157. Weapon--Salvadoran lady uses the only weapon she has during a robbery: the Bible

158. Wheelchair--Eastern Washington family hope to get wheelchair before Medicaid cuts

159. White Girl--Mexican man fired by jealous boss for kissing white girl at Christmas party

160. Widow--Dying lady talks about how she misses her husband's strong arm to lean on

161. Work--Woman in fish plant used to sew; now her bones ache, but no more nosebleeds

162. Workfirst--DSHS cuts off benefits and exacerbates disease in farmworker

163. Young--Old man explains how he and his wife keep looking and feeling young

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