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Xicano
Bookseller Receives MacArthur Foundation Grant
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Long-time
friend of Xicano writers and tireless promoter of
Xicano literature, Rueben Martinez, owner of
Libreria Martinez in Santa Ana, CA, received
the phone call of a lifetime. At first he wanted to
hang up, thinking it was a crank call, but the voice
on the other end of the line said, "Mr. Martinez,
don't hang up because this is the real stuff."
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He
was Daniel J. Socolow, calling with this news: Martinez
is one of twenty-three recipients for this years MacArthur
Foundation's "Genius" grants, which were formally
announced on September 28, 2004. Rueben will get a
no-strings attached $500,000. Not only that, but Martinez
is the only Latino and only Southern Californian on
the list. He is probably the only barber-turned-bookseller
ever to receive the prestigious award as well.
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Rueben's
stores presently include a main store in Santa Ana,
a children's bookstore next to this, and a satellite
store in Lynwood. At sixty-four he has no plans to
retire-and besides, he has energy to spare. Starting
out of a copper-mine community in Arizona, Martinez
came to Long Beach, CA, saw the Pacific Ocean, and
knew he'd never live in Arizona again. He worked in
industry, including the sprawling Bethlehem Steel
Mill in Maywood, until he developed his skills as
a barber and opened up his business. He began to carry
Xicano books for his patrons to read; soon he was
receiving requests for more and more books. Eventually
he had one hundred, then two hundred. By 1993, with
more book sales than haircuts, Rueben opened his first
bookstore. Today, he sells more than 125,000 books
a year.
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Rueben
is also a strong advocate for Spanish-language books
as well as Xicano/Latino books in English. He travels
across this country, and other countries, to schools,
conferences, book festivals, and more to bring the
gospel of reading to everyone he can. He is a founder
of the Latino Book & Family Festival, with festivals
across the country, on the Board of Directors of Criticas
magazine, which features Spanish-language titles,
and he has his own five-minute Spanish-language national
TV spot with Univision, reading stories to young children.
Famous authors such as Carlos Fuentes, Isabel
Allende, Sandra Cisneros, and Jorge
Ramos have brought massive audiences to his Santa
Ana flagship store. We at Xispas magazine congratulate
our good friend and fellow book-lover Rueben Martinez
for receiving this great honor-in Rueben's case, it
is richly deserved.
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