Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club

By Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Paperback: $19.95

Sometimes the border is a mirror, sometimes it’s an escape, and sometimes it’s just the bridge you cross to go home.

Audiobook Edition

Description

All borders entangle those who live on either side, resulting in many a tale. Take, for instance, these seven evocative stories coming out of the Kentucky Club on Avenida Juárez two blocks south of the Rio Grande. It’s a touchstone for all who walk by or go in for a drink or to score. The border on which it sits is really no border at all. Like all special watering holes, it is a liminal space, undefined and unclaimed. It welcomes Spanish and English, Mexicans and gringos, poor and rich, gay and straight, drug addicts and drunks, laughter and sadness, and even despair. It’s a place of rich history and good drinks and cold beer and a long, polished mahogany bar. Some days it smells like piss. “I’m going home to the other side,” folks say. That’s a strange statement, but you hear it all the time at the Kentucky Club.

About the Creators

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an award-winning novelist, poet, and writer of children's books. His many acclaimed titles include the picture books A Gift from Papá Diego, The Dog Who Loved Tortillas, and A Perfect Season for Dreaming; the young adult novels Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood and Last Night I Sang to the Monster; and the adult story collection Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, all from Cinco Puntos Press. His Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe won the Printz Award, young adult literature's highest honor. Ben lives and works in El Paso, Texas. Visit his website at benjaminsaenz.com.

Awards

  • Lambda Literary Award Winner

    Lambda Literary

  • PEN America Literary Awards Winner

    PEN America

  • Stonewall Book Award Honor

    American Library Association (ALA)

  • Southwest Book Awards Winner

    Border Regional Library Association

Reviews

  • "Sáenz's moving collection of short stories hinges on the intergenerational clientele of the titular borderland watering hole just south of the U.S.-Mexican divide on Avenida Juárez. . . There's much to enjoy in these gritty, heartfelt stories."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "Sàenz writes prose that is tender, occasionally fierce, and always engaging. Read every word of his stories lest you miss some clever twist, some subtle irony, some gentle nuance of poetic imagery that he has labored to create."

    - Booklist

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781935955320
  • Price $19.95
  • Publication Date Oct 30, 2012
  • Trim Size 9 × 6 in
  • Weight 0.6875 lbs
  • Page Count 224
  • Interests

  • Imprint Cinco Puntos Press
  • Audience Adult
  • BISAC Category 1 FICTION / LGBTQ+ / Gay
  • BISAC Category 2 FICTION / Hispanic & Latino
  • BISAC Category 3 FICTION / Coming of Age
  • Themes Fiction, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, LGBTQIA+, Realistic Fiction
  • Reading Levels

  • Guided Reading Adult
  • Interest Level Adult
  • Reading Level Adult
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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