Dagoberto Gilb The Flowers

“As if from Indian kivas mythically bound to a familial, American land, we are now only beginning to see the latest generation of Chicano writers climb out, yet again, and stand. Here we watch one of the finest, Tim Z. Hernandez, who brings us back to our central valley of California, where so much food is grown for the country, where so little money is given to the people, where life as it was at the turn of this new century looks so much the same as it did in the start of the last.”

Alan Cheuse National Public Radio’s, All Things Considered

“Reading Hernandez’s novel reminded me of T.S. Eliot’s image of “garlic and sapphires in the mud….in other words, Hernandez’s fiction debut brings to the reader a mix of beauty and depravity, love and disgust. His sensibility mediates for us in this thicket of poverty, amorality, lust, stupidity, fear and ironically, enlightenment. [Hernandez] is a deeply gifted prose writer who has learned to use the images and rhythms of poetry to the best possible advantage.”

Fiction Writers Review

“The language of the novel is lifted by rhythm, imagery and metaphor, Hernandez proves expert at using elements such as symbolic names and clever plot devices to emphasize his complex critique of religion, mythology, and consumer culture, though his greatest talent lies in weaving setting, theme and character…readers of Breathing, In Dust will thoroughly enjoy awakening to the artfully rendered world of the migrant farmer.”

Alex Espinoza, Sons of El Rey

“Breathing, In Dust reveals a world that is layered and complex and rich. Hernandez’s Catela—like Anderson’s Winesburg and Rulfo’s Comala—offers a glimpse into a tender and fragile landscape. He has given us a coming-of-age novel like no other, a purely original and courageous book penned by a writer of uncanny wisdom and heart.”