EDGE Philadelphia

Guillermo Reyes, a playwright and a theater professor at the University of Arizona, tells this story and that of his mother Maria in Madre & I: A Memoir of Our Immigrant Lives. It begins with their life in their native Chile and continues with their new life as immigrants in America.

Reyes is an illegitimate child, like his mother and grandmother, but he bears his father’s last name. Reyes and his mother are quite different. He is an anxious young man, unable to connect with people; while his mother is a go-getter, very sociable, and always ready for adventure. After moving to the United States, Maria worked as a house cleaner, then as a nanny in Washington D.C, and eventually in Hollywood, California. She truly assimilated to the American lifestyle, debt and all.

As a teenager, Reyes developed an anxiety about his body that kept him in long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Along with this body image issue, he was always fearful that one of his other secrets-his immigrant status, illegitimacy, or homosexuality- would be found out. Therefore, he kept away from social situations and struggled with his sexual repression and gay identity alone.

Madre & I is two stories in one and includes photos of both protagonists on their mother and son adventures. Reyes’ coming to terms with his fears is told with great honesty and wit, and at times, with regret. Madre & I is a poignant and memorable read.

by Guillermo Reyes