Medea Sang Me a Corrido by Dahlia De La Cerda

Medea Sang Me a Corrido by Dahlia De La Cerda

A punk revival of Medea as a Mexican anti-angel of birth and death, from the International Booker Prize-nominated author of Reservoir Bitches.

In Northern Mexico, Paulina, Perla, Antonia, Reina, and Jordan are striving to survive the barrio, hustling on the edge of a cartel-run economy, nursing the wounds made normal in a world that eats its own. Hovering over their trials is a spirit with gothic flair, dressed in black and crowned with braids: Medea, a mythic mother of the Chihuahuan desert, ancient as the Aztecs but never too old to be petty.

From aiding a trophy girlfriend’s abortion, to accompanying a mother in her search for her lost child in the desert, to embracing those taken too soon in the narco’s brutal proxy wars, Medea fights for justice for her chosen mortals — her divine wrath the only power that could rival the corrupt, violent web spun by the cartel, the government, and the military. Dahlia de la Cerda’s magnetic prose draws readers right into the heart of that web and links all our fates to the missions of Medea, equal parts midwife and gravedigger, a femme fatale god in a femicidal world.

Praise for Reservoir Bitches:

‘Reservoir Bitches is a blisteringly urgent collection of interconnected stories about contemporary Mexican womenIt absolutely bangs from the first page to the last. It’s extremely funny but deadly serious and we loved the energy and flair of the dual translators’ approach. It packs an enormous political and linguistic punch but is also subtle, revelatory, and moving about the ways in which these women hustle, innovate, survive or don’t, in a world of labyrinthine dangers. This book weaves the riotous testimony of the living and the dead to create an expletive-rich feminist blast of Mexican literature.’

-- Judges’ comments from the 2025 International Booker Prize

Praise for Reservoir Bitches:

‘The stories are all narrated by women, from the daughters of crime bosses to designer-clad socialites, whose voices are all so alive and vibrant that reading this collection was a genuine thrill. Reservoir Bitches doesn’t shy from portraying Mexico’s gritty underbelly but, much like her fellow countrywoman Fernanda Melchor, De La Cerda’s stories scrutinise Mexican society with great humour. It is a remarkably good debut collection.’

-- Barry Pierce * The Big Issue *

Praise for Reservoir Bitches:

‘Women lie, cheat, kill, and die in Mexican writer de la Cerda’s searing English-language debut … de la Cerda offers a refreshingly unapologetic voice for women who refuse to be placated. This is worth a look.’

* Publishers Weekly *

Praise for Reservoir Bitches:

‘[de la Cerda’s] tactics succeed in creating the enchanting feeling that one is sitting across from each narrator, being told their stories as a close confidante … The author’s demand that we bear witness to the senseless murders, in all their gruesomeness, of these bright young women is sobering and commendable.’

* Kirkus Reviews *

Praise for Reservoir Bitches:

‘This book has the force of an ocean gully: it sucks you in, it drags you through the mud, and it cleans you in equal measure.’

-- Andrea Abreu, author of Dogs of Summer

Dahlia de la Cerda is a writer and activist based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She is the author of Reservoir Bitches, which was longlisted for the 2025 International Booker Prize. Its Spanish original, Perras de Reserva, won the 2019 Premio Nacional de Cuento Joven Comala. De la Cerda is also the cofounder of the feminist organisation Morras Help Morras. Julia Sanches translates literature from Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan into English. Born in Brazil, she now lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Heather Cleary is an award-winning translator of poetry and prose whose work has been recognised by English PEN, the National Book Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation, among others.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781917189637
ISBN 10	191718963X
Title	Medea Sang Me a Corrido
Author	Dahlia De La Cerda
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Scribe Publications
Year published	2026-08-13
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.