The Fort Lupton Library celebrated the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo a few days early with plenty of indoor and outdoor games for the kids, including mini golf, face painting, Loteria and hitting the piñata.
But one of the indoor events featured local author Jolene Gutiérrez, who read from one of her books, “Mamiachi & Me,” translated in English, “Mommy and Me.”
“The story is about an all-female mariachi band, which used to be made up of only male performers. Recently, it’s become much more common for women to become mariachis,” Gutiérrez said. “It’s an all-female mariachi group, and Rosa, the young girl in my story, will perform for the first time with her mommy, her Madrinas, and all of the women on stage performing together.”
Gutiérrez said its music embodies joy, girl power, and overcoming stage fright. Her husband conceived the idea during the pandemic. The Thornton resident interviewed an all-female mariachi group before she began writing.
Like the story, the book was a family project.
“My daughter and I had already written a book about Ofrendas and Día de Muertos after my dad passed away, and it became essential for us. So, we wrote the book together,” Gutiérrez said
“I asked my son, who had planned to join his high school mariachi group but couldn’t because of COVID, if he wanted to write a story about mariachis, and we did that together.”
Gutiérrez said she has been a teacher librarian for 30 years, focusing on neurodivergent learners at Denver Academy. She co-authored children’s books with her Mexican American children to address the lack of representation in literature.
These books, inspired by her family’s heritage, were published during the pandemic. The conversation also touched on the historical context of language learning in the U.S, Gutiérrez said.
Gutiérrez, who has been diagnosed as neurodivergent, discussed her experiences and challenges growing up, including sensory processing disorder. Even though Gutiérrez lived in Thornton for over 30 years, her parents retired in Fort Lupton.
“They are no longer alive, but I have some ties to this beautiful community. It was challenging for my parents to raise a neurodivergent child,” Gutiérrez said. “My parents probably would have used the word diva for me if that word existed. But I was spoiled. I was a brat. It was challenging for them and me because there were so many foods that I found the texture difficult to eat, so I was very picky.”
Gutiérrez said the sun is really hard for her, so she doesn’t like going outside in the bright sun. She also didn’t enjoy going to the car races with her parents, which they loved. It was too loud, overwhelming and painful for her.
“There were so many things they enjoyed that were tough for me, just within our family,” Gutiérrez said. “Both my kids are diagnosed with that as well as with sensory processing. Some people view that as part of the autism spectrum as well, that sensory sensitivity, but so many of us are sensitive to lots of different things.
“So, one of my books, ‘Too Much! An Overwhelming Day,’ is all about my experience of being overwhelmed by everything the world throws at you. It is what inspired me to write the book.”
Gutiérrez’ husband was born in Mexico and her kids’ are Mexican American. When her children were little, she tried to find books that helped them learn more about their heritage and joyful celebrations.
“My kids are young adults now, but we were home together during the pandemic. I taught from home, and they learned from home. We also decided to write together. Then we were fortunate enough that these books were published,” Gutiérrez said.
Gutiérrez has a Master’s degree in Library Science. The Colorado Department of Education has recognized her library as a recipient of the Highly Effective Schools Through Libraries award.
She has been a mentor teacher for graduate students and the president of the Colorado Independent School Librarians.
She is the author of eight books, including “Too Much! An Overwhelming Day,” which is based on her sensory processing disorder and has been translated into seven languages.
Gutiérrez’s book can be found on Amazon and bookshop.org, which supports independent local bookstores. You could also visit your local bookstore and ask them to order a copy. Additionally, your local public library could order a copy as well.
For more information about Gutierrez’s books, visit https://www.jolenegutierrez.com or visit: https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/faculty/jolene-gutierrez/
