Alfredo Véa Jr. facts for kids

Alfredo Véa Jr. (born June 28, 1950) is an American lawyer and novelist. He has a mixed background, being of Mexican, Yaqui, and Filipino heritage. He is known for writing four novels: La Maravilla (1993), The Silver Cloud Café (1996), Gods Go Begging (1999), and The Mexican Flyboy. His book Gods Go Begging was named one of the best books of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times. The Mexican Flyboy won an American Book Award in 2017.

Alfredo Véa's Early Life

Alfredo Véa was born in the desert near Phoenix, Arizona, around 1950. His mother, Lorenza Carvajal, was of Yaqui and Spanish background. He grew up in a neighborhood called the "Buckeye Road" barrio (a Spanish-speaking neighborhood) near Phoenix.

He lived with his Mexican grandparents, Manuel and Josephina Carvajal. They taught him about his Spanish and Yaqui cultures. This made his childhood environment very diverse, with many different cultures and languages. This strong sense of mixed identity later influenced his writing.

Moving to California

When Alfredo was ten, his mother, who had left him with his grandparents, came back for him. She took him to her new family in California. There, he worked as a migrant farmworker. He worked alongside Mexican and French Canadian braceros (guest workers).

It was in California that he learned to read and write, thanks to his Filipino friends. He later attended Livermore High School. A teacher named Jack Beery helped him a lot, and Véa later dedicated his novel La Maravilla to him.

Education and Service

After high school, Véa went to the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent some time living with the Yaqui people in Sonora, Mexico. In 1968, he joined the Army and served in the Vietnam War.

After returning from Vietnam in 1969, Véa worked as a truck driver. In 1970, he moved to Paris and worked as a janitor. He returned to Berkeley in 1971. He earned two college degrees in English and Physics in 1975. In 1978, he earned his law degree (J.D.).

Becoming a Lawyer and Writer

Alfredo Véa first worked for the Centro Legal de la Raza, a legal center for people. From 1980 to 1986, he worked in the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. Later, he started his own law practice, focusing on difficult legal cases.

His experiences as a lawyer inspired him to start writing novels. He began writing in 1989. He wanted to share stories and show the experiences of people from diverse backgrounds.

How Experiences Shape His Novels

Véa uses his own life experiences in his novels. For example, the main character in La Maravilla is a young boy living with his Yaqui and Mexican grandparents. This boy is separated from his mother, much like Véa's own childhood.

His time in France also appears in his novel Gods Go Begging. His experiences as a lawyer and a veteran also influence his stories. His novels often explore themes of different cultures, identity, and life's challenges.

Storytelling in the Courtroom

Alfredo Véa's storytelling skills are not just for his books. He also uses them in his legal work. One of his colleagues described him as a "renaissance trial attorney." This means he was a very skilled lawyer who used his wide knowledge of history, literature, and different cultures in court.

He once ended a legal argument by telling stories about historical figures like Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette, along with stories from his own childhood. This shows how he combines his passion for storytelling with his legal profession.