Description
Book SynopsisFormer President Ronald Reagan called Eva Castellanoz a "national treasure" when he awarded her an NEA National Heritage Fellowship in 1987. Featured in National Geographic, National Public Radio, and numerous other publications, Castellanoz is celebrated as a folk artist, community activist and a curandera, a traditional Mexican healer who uses a mind-body-spirit approach. During her 16 year friendship with Joanne Mulcahy, Castellanoz has revealed her life story as well as her remedios -- her remedies, both medicinal and metaphoric -- for life's maladies. Using her own observations and Castellanoz's stories, Mulcahy employs creative nonfiction and oral accounts to portray the life, beliefs, and practices of this remarkable woman. Anyone who has been healed by Eva Castellanoz has felt her power and wisdom. Anyone who reads this vivid portrait will come away feeling wiser and empowered by the story of this courageous and loving healer.
Trade Review“Mulcahy offers us an up-close look at the life of the healer woman. We can't help but be inspired—maybe even healed.” — San Antonio Express-News “Joanne B. Mulcahy has given us a rare glimpse into the life and methods of a curandera, the traditional female healers and leaders of many of our Latin American and Latino comunities. Respectfully, thoughtfully written, and beautifully structured, Remedios allows the reader to participate in these healing encounters. Each chapter is organized around a problem and its accompanying remedio. We learn about curanderismo from the inside out. The book is also a sensitive portrait of an extraordinary woman, Eva Castellanoz, and through her story we learn about the immigration experience from a female perspective. Mulcahy has done for the curandera experience what Carlos Castaneda did for shamanism. The book is itself a remedio, inspiring and healing.” — Julia Alvarez
