Author Victor Villasenor to Speak, Sign Books at Salem Public Library

Villasenor "Burro Genius," the first book of a planned second trilogy, was released in July 2004, is a national bestseller, and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Author Victor Villaseor Photo Courtesy: Salem Library

(SALEM) - Victor Villasenor persisted through 265 rejections of his first novel, Macho!, before it was finally sold. He persisted and proved 265 publishers wrong as he inspired comparisons to "the best of Steinbeck" and went on to more than a dozen novels, collections of short stories, children's books, and non-fiction books.

He will talk about his life and his work in a special appearance at 7:00 PM Wednesday, May 3rd in Loucks Auditorium at Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE.

His talk will be followed by a book signing. Books will be available for sale at the event.

Tickets to Villasenor's appearance are $5. Tickets are sold at all Library Circulation desks and at the door, as available. Villasenor's bestseller, "Rain of Gold," is among his best-known works. Published in seven languages and used by thousands of teachers and school systems across the nation as required reading, "Rain of Gold" tells the story of Victor's family, taking the reader from war-torn Mexico during the Revolution to the present day. In his most recent book, an autobiography titled "Burro Genius," Villasenor recounts his personal history. A Californian born to Spanish-speaking parents, Villaseñor encountered harsh discrimination and difficult language and cultural barriers as he entered school. Due to a reading problem, later diagnosed as dyslexia, Villaseñor dropped out of high school his junior year and moved to Mexico.

There he discovered a wealth of Mexican art, literature, and music, that helped him recapture and understand the dignity and richness of his heritage. Today, Villasenor's body of works include a number of nonfiction books which are all used in schools throughout the country. His trilogy, "Wild Steps Of Heaven," "Rain of Gold," and "Thirteen Senses," is widely used, as well as "Jury: The People vs. Juan Corona," "Macho!," and "Walking Stars." "Burro Genius," the first book of a planned second trilogy, was released in July 2004, is a national bestseller, and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. A gifted and accomplished speaker, Victor is candid and heartfelt, bringing a fresh perspective to a number of universal themes including pride in heritage, the strength of family, world peace, the power of the written word, and dedication to education and personal achievement.

His appearance is part of the Modern Voices Author Series and is sponsored by the Salem Public Library Foundation. More information is available at 503-588-6052 or online at www.salemlibrary.org.