Four years ago, Achy Obejas and her girlfriend, Tania Bruguera, were having a rough time finding a tattoo artist who would solemnize their relationship. All they wanted were simple double infinity symbols on their ring fingers. The first artist flatly said he didn’t do hands. The second was more flexible, but wanted to know the story behind the tattoos. “I need to be able to feel it,” he said.
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Obejas smiles, remembering her response: “I told him, ‘Look, I’m a woman, a Latina, and I’m queer.’” She holds up her hand and crosses her fingers. “‘Me and the other are like this, OK?’” The tattooist still refused, but on their third attempt they found a shop where the only prerequisite was cash in hand.
The novel’s narrator is born on New Year’s Day, 1959, as Castro takes power. Two years later, her parents escape from Cuba in the middle of the night and make their way to Chicago. Growing up in Rogers Park, she is curious about the past–about her parents, about what really happened. Through her father she learns that interpretations–of history, of phrases, of revolutions, of others’ lives–are never exact.
Achy Obejas will read from Days of Awe on Tuesday, October 9, at noon at a Heartland Literary Society luncheon at the Northern Trust Company, 50 S. LaSalle, sixth floor. Tickets are $60, which includes a copy of the book; call 312-444-3519 for reservations (required). At 7 that evening she’ll read at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th (773-684-1300), as part of Chicago Book Week. It’s free.
