The University of Arizona Press
December 4, 2024
They Call You Back: A Lost History, A Search, A Memoir, by Tim Z. Hernandez has been selected by Booklist as a 2024 Editors Choice Title! Booklist is the book review journal of the American Library Association. In the Booklist starred review of the book, Lillian Liao wrote, “Hernandez courageously embraces the fragility of stories and generously shares their underlying worldviews, allowing readers to touch the invisible. Anchored by grief, this is a must-read to understand a solemn part of America’s modern history that is still very present.”
They Call You Back is a memoir about the investigations that have shaped the greater part of the author’s life. Hernandez takes us along on an investigative odyssey through personal and collective history to uncover the surprising conjunctions that bind our stories together. Hernandez continues his search for families of the twenty-eight Mexicans who were killed in the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon, while also turning the lens on himself and his ancestral past, revealing the tumultuous and deeply intimate experiences that have fueled his investigations—a lifelong journey haunted by memory, addiction, generational trauma, and the spirit world.
Hernandez is an award-winning author, research scholar, and performer. His books include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and he is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Book Award. His work has been featured in international media, and in 2018 he was recognized by the California Senate for his work locating the victims of the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos, which is chronicled in his book, All They Will Call You.
Congratulations Tim!
