Summarizer

** Summarizer! part one (Ashley Booker) :) **
Antonio Marez recalls the memories of his grandmother Ultima coming to his town. First we recall that Antonio is in the atic of his families home, he recalls his parents talking about Ultima a curandera or healer, and how she would be staying in their home because Ultima was growing old and is in need of being with her family. Antonio's father goes and recieves Ultima from her home and takes her to their home, in this event Ultima is greeted by the whole family, Antonio's mother, father, two sisters and himself. Following her arival Antonio and Ultima get very close, she teaches him about the herbs and the ways of her people. A reason why they are so close i believe is because Antonio recalls in a dream that Ultima helped his mother at birth, and that they are destined to be close forever. While Ultima is living with the Marez's a horrible event occurs, Lupito, the town's loon shoots the cities sheriff, which creates great terror among the towns men. Antonio follows his father and Chavez to the bridge and hides in the brush to see what al the commotion is about. Then Antonio is terrified by the sight of Lupito in the bushes by the river, after much yelling from the towns people Lupito is shot dead and Antonio rushes home in the presence of the great owl, which we find out actually is Ultima's spirit. At home he is comforted by his grandmother Ultima, here she heals him with one of her medical remedies. The next morning Antonio's family goes to church, where Antonio plays with the school boys, he has learned much by watching them, but now he plays with them and impresses a few of the boys by wrestling one of the boys called Horse. Antonio is saddened because he is realizing that he will be going to school soon, and that these boys that he has became friends with are older than he is. After a while it is time for Antonio, Ultima and his family to go to harvest at El Puerto, here Antonio's mother gets to see her brothers and father. Antonio's mother is very happy to see them because she misses the IIano people, and her home town After Antonio and his family get back from El Puerto, Antonio starts school. HIs mother tells him to tell his teacher, Miss Maestas, who his mother is. At first, Antonio is nervous when he gets to the school but a boy shows him the way. This boy speaks english, which I think foreshadows how much english Antonio is going to learn. Antonio gets to his class room and tells his teacher who his mother is. Miss Maestas is kind to him and asks him if he can speak english. When he says he can't, she smiles and asks him if he wants to learn how to write and he says yes. Antonio is a fast learner and soon learns how to write his name. At lunch he is laughed at, because of what his lunch is and feels upset and lonely. I think that the author had that happen to show the diffrences between the kids. Soon, Antonio's brothers, Andrew, Leon, and Eugene, come home to war and everyone is happy. Now that his sons are back, Antonio's father talks even more about going to California, but his sons have other ideas. Leon and Eugene leave soon after, going to live their own lives. Andrew is the only one who stays behind. The next day Antonio and his friend Samuel go fishing. Samuel tells Antonio the story of the Golden Carp. A while after, Antonio's Uncle Lucas is cursed by the brujas. Doctors and a priest try to heal him but can't, so they turn to Ultima for answers. She agrees to heal him and brings Antonio along with her. When they arrive, Antonio's Grandfather greets them and tells them that he will prepare the room. While he is doing that Ultima and Antonio go and confront Tenorio. After they come back home and start healing Lucas. **Part 3 (Cory)** During the process of healing Lucas, Antonio started to fade out and became one with Lucas, and began to feel and see what Lucas saw and felt. After they healed Lucas they went and burned the curse in the exact same spot that it was laid. Then they go home. A little while later Cico came and took Antonio to see the Golden Carp and told him about the full story of the Golden Carp and the prophecy of how the whole town would sink into the waters beneath it if the weight of it's sins was not taken away. After that Ultima gave Antonio her scapular for protection against evil. Then later on that same night Narciso came and warned them that Tenorio had come to kill Ultima for putting a "curse" on one of his daughters and causing her death. Antonio's father and Narciso managed to keep Ultima safe for the time being, but Tenorio vow his revenge against Ultima and that he would kill her eventually. After that they all went to their uncles' farm and went to work in the fields. While they were there they witnessed the excommunication of Tenorio from the chruch and knew that his daughter would have tobe buried on unholy ground; doomed to perdition. After that school start back up and Antonio was to start third grade instead of second. On the first day Antonio and Ernie started fighting about Ernie teasing Antonio about Ultima being a witch. After that there was a huge snowstorm that was the worst the town had seen in quite a while, it was a complete whiteout, but even through it was bad Antonio still went to school to do the class play that the girls of the class had made. The play turned out to be a bad idea because everyone of the boys started to act up and the play went completely haywire and began to fall apart. Just before Antonio's first confession all of his catechism class decide to make him the "priest" and start practicing confession to him. This makes Tony really uncomfortable but all attempts to get out of the situation are denied aggressively by the rest of the children. Horse and Bones give their raunchy confessions abd then the group decides it is Florence's turn. Antonio refuses to do his confession so the children beat him and harrass him until it is time for them to make their confessions. The next day on Easter Sunday Antonio is extremely excited for his First Communion. He is disappointed though when after making his Commuion he feels no different, none of his questions are answered, and he cannot hear God. After this disappointment Antonio continues to go to Confession every Saturday and Communion every Sunday seeking God's answers. Each time he is disappointed. Summer finally arrives, school is out and Antonio and his father accompany Ultima to a friend's house to get rid of evil spirits. By the end of the day, they have been successful and so they head home. Over the next few weeks, Antonio and Cico await the Golden Carp. After he arrives though they decide to go find Florence to reveal the Golden Carp to him. Upon their arrival all the boys of the gang are swimming in the forbidden area. They are really freaked out because Florence has been under water for a very long time. Tony tells them to go get the lifeguard and while they are waiting Florence's body floats to the surface. He is dead after hitting his head and being held under water by some barbed wire. Because of all this death and trauma Antonio is sent to his uncles' for the rest of the summer. He learns their ways and one evening his Uncle Juan comes bringing bad news. He shares that Tenorio's daughter has died and he is out for revenge. Uncle Pedro tells Antonio to go home and pack quickly. On his way to his uncle's house though, Tenorio almost runs Antonio over with his horse. Antonio escapes and begins to run the ten miles or so back home to warn his family and Ultima. He and his Uncle Pedro arrive at about the same time and get there just in time to see Tenorio kill Ultima's owl, which is her spirit/soul. Pedro quickly fires upon and kills Tenorio, and Antonio runs to check on Ultima, she is dying and so Antonio goes to bury her owl where she wants it. Right before he leave though, she blesses him and it is the blessing he has been waiting for the whole book. This Book is now one of my favorites it has a great point of view of World War 2 and the effects it had on indivduals that were fighting in the War. I strongly recommend it to every one
 * Part 2! (Rachael Wedel) **
 * Part 5 (Cecilia Ramsey) **
 * My Thought (Taylor Morrow)**