American Chica (45 page)

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
HIS BOOK IS
the product of a communal memory. I have been fortunate to have had the participation of many family members who helped me recall scenes and exchanges from my early life. None should be blamed for inaccuracies, for if there are errors on these pages, they are entirely mine. Nevertheless, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my relatives for their willingness to revisit the past with me—even the difficult parts—and add texture and color to my memories. They are: Jorge Arana Cisneros, Marie Clapp Arana, Rosa Victoria (Vicki) Arana, George Winston Arana, Maria Isabel (Chaba) Arana Cisneros, Eloísa Arana Cisneros, Víctor Arana Cisneros, Robert Hugh (Huey) Loseman, Erma Jean Grise, and Joyce Loseman-Wheeler.

An author who is steered toward truth is fortunate, and I was indeed fortunate to be steered there by historians Roger Rumrill Garcia of Lima, Umberto Morey of Iquitos, and Juan M. Cravero Tirado, former senator from Ayacucho, all of whom
assisted me in reconstructing the connection between my great-grandfather Pedro Pablo Arana and the
cauchero
Julio César Arana.

Leonard Downie, Robert Kaiser, and Nina King granted me time away from my job at
The Washington Post
to write. The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University gave me a month’s fellowship, an office next to the Stanford Library, and then left me alone to think.

When I pecked out five vaguely worded pages of a proposal and faxed them with humble apologies to Amanda Urban, it was she who convinced me that I might have a book there. I thank Binky not only for the many years of friendship she has given me, but for her laser-true antennae, rock-hard faith, and great good humor. She is the engine that made this possible.

I’ve been in the book business for a long time, first on the publishing side and now in the reviewer’s corner, but I have never encountered anyone like Susan Kamil. For all those skeptics who say good editors exited this world with Maxwell Perkins, I would ask them to consider mine: the hardest nose, biggest heart, keenest mind in the industry. Susan saw the forest for the trees as I struggled to distinguish what was and was not important about endless recollections. She drew me a road map, then nudged me along. I couldn’t have done it without her.

I owe considerable gratitude, too, to my daughter, Hilary (Lalo) Walsh, who read the first draft and gave me the benefit of her nimble brain and wicked wit. Thanks to my son, the inimitable Adam Williamson Ward, who has always been generous, not only with his love, but with his computer skills. Thanks also to my children’s father, Wendell (Nick) B. Ward, Jr., for support and encouragement.

There are others who helped me: Mary Hadar, by telling me I was as much a writer as an editor. Kathy Lord, whose careful line-editing is rare and much to be valued. Jamie Alcabes, who
corrected numerous typographical errors in the original. Jane and John Amos, who offered a quiet house in West Virginia when there was rewriting to do. Steve Coll, managing editor of
The Washington Post,
and my colleagues at
Book World,
who give me continuing support.

But all said and done, this book simply would not be if it weren’t for my husband, Jonathan Yardley. He told me I had a story to tell in the first place, offered kind words as I completed each chapter, and then read every version, with patience and gallantry and love. He is as deeply etched into my life and work as the memories on these pages. I owe him more than I can possibly say.

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

M
ARIE
A
RANA
is the editor of
The Washington Post’s Book World.
She has served on the boards of directors of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Book Critics Circle. Formerly a book editor at Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and vice president at Simon & Schuster, she joined
The Washington Post
in 1992. Apart from her editorial work, she has also done feature writing for
The Post.
She lives on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with her son, Adam Ward, and her husband, Jonathan Yardley.

AMERICAN CHICA
A Dial Press Trade Paperback

PUBLISHING HISTORY
Dial Press hardcover edition / 2001
Delta Trade Paperback edition / June 2002
Dial Press Trade Paperback edition / July 2005

Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

To protect their privacy, some individuals have been given pseudonyms. They are: Juan Díaz, Pepe Canales, Tommy Pineda, Ralph and Carmen Cunningham, Kelly O’Neill, Lucilla, Erika, and Minna.

Copyright © 2001 by Marie Arana

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address:
The Dial Press, New York, New York.

The Dial Press and Dial Press Trade Paperbacks are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-047529

eISBN: 978-0-307-76459-1

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