A Man Called AITA

A Man Called Aita is Joan Errea's loving, moving, heartfelt, and honest tribute to her father, Arnaud Paris--aita is the Basque word for "father." But it is so much more than that: it is the continued story of her mother, also told in Joan's book My Mama Marie; it is the story of her brothers Arnaud, Mike, Johnny, and Pete; of her adored Uncle Otto; of ranch hands; and of dogs and goats and sheep and horses and cattle. Written in beguilingly simple rhymed verse, the story is not simple, nor is it entirely carefree--there are deaths, injuries, losses great and small, disease, trials and tribulations. There is humor, there is love, there are grand personalities written across the western landscape. At its heart is a tremendous loss that has been felt by all who have lost a beloved parent. Beyond its deeply personal story, this book is also a testimony to the ranching way of life in the Western United States and the place of Basques within it. Written in the style of the Basque bertsolari, and taking as inspiration her father, who was also a troubador of this oral tradition, the small book you hold in your hands is a true gem of the West.