The Rain God

"The Rain God is a lost masterpiece that helped launch a legion of writers. Its return, in times like these, is a plot twist that perhaps only Arturo Islas himself could have conjured. May it win many new readers." — Luis Alberto Urrea, bestselling author of The House of Broken Angels and The Hummingbird’s Daughter "Rivers, rivulets, fountains and waters flow, but never return to their joyful beginnings; anxiously they hasten on to the vast realms of the Rain God." A beloved Southwestern classic—as beautiful, subtle and profound as the desert itself—Arturo Islas's The Rain God is a breathtaking masterwork of contemporary literature. Set in a fictional small town on the Texas-Mexico border, it tells the funny, sad and quietly outrageous saga of the children and grandchildren of Mama Chona the indomitable matriarch of the Angel clan who fled the bullets and blood of the 1911 revolution for a gringo land of promise. In bold creative strokes, Islas paints on unforgettable family portrait of souls haunted by ghosts and madness--sinners torn by loves, lusts and dangerous desires. From gentle hearts plagued by violence and epic delusions to a child who con foretell the coming of rain in the sweet scent of angels, here is a rich and poignant tale of outcasts struggling to live and die with dignity . . . and to hold onto their past while embracing an unsteady future.

Many popular legends and myths have been passed on within Chinese communities since the earliest historical times. More than 100 gods and goddesses have featured in these tales such as the Rain God. This series of illustrated children's books of Chinese legends aims to stimulate the unlimited imagination and creativity in every child.

In this delightful Chinese fairy tale, an old soothsayer matches wits with a dragon rain god. The dragon's envy becomes his downfall as Consuto's patience and wisdom win the love of the people. Children and adults will delight in the fable's clever ideas and imagery. Illustrated by photos taken by the author and a friend on their journeys through China, the pictures reflect on the merging of past and present, characteristic of today's China.

The rain god is angry - someone has stolen the sacrifice. Kabo is blamed, and threatened with death. How can he prove that he is innocent? And how can he prevent war between the villages?

A collection of short stories from Africa covering a range of subjects, from the conflict between traditional and new ways of life and values, to the role of women in society. The main introduction provides a background for discussion, as well as ideas for students to use in their own writing.

Essay from the year 2008 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Stuttgart (English Department of Literary Studies), course: Proseminar, language: English, abstract: The following essay will examine the contrast between friendship and the construct of family in Arturo Islas’ novel "The Rain God". In the story the reader is confronted with the comradeship between the characters Juanita and Lola. Their friendship endures a really difficult situation, Lola's adulterous affair. Additionally, there is this construct of family which is highly dysfunctional and held together by only a few members. The course of the narrative shows that friendship becomes of higher value than family relations. The short essay explores this by analyzing the characters and how they are represented in relation to one another.