Gordo’s Way

BASED IN CALIFORNIA’S STEINBECK COUNTRY, JAIME CORTEZ’S DEBUT BOOK, ‘GORDO,’ SHOWS THE VULNERABLE RAWNESS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN OUTSIDER

published by: Palabra. NAHJ

Editor’s Note: This story was produced in collaboration with Voices of Monterey Bay a not-for-profit bilingual news organization serving Monterey and Santa Cruz counties on California’s Central Coast.

Words by

Olga Rosales Salinas

Jaime Cortez joined me on Zoom from his car in a grocery store parking lot in Watsonville, a bustling blue-collar agricultural town on the edge of Monterey Bay in Central California. And when I asked if I should try him at a better time or place, he quickly said, “No, I’m ready for you.”

Read the full interview at palabra.