Their Dogs Came with Them
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Helena Maria Viramontes |
| Products | Fiction novel |
Their Dogs Came With Them is a 2007 novel authored by Helena Maria Viramontes, a Mexican American writer hailing from East Los Angeles, California. Viramontes, who obtained her BA in English Literature from Immaculate Heart College, was shaped by the influences of the Chicano Movement. This work, which took seventeen years to complete, is recognized for its intricate character development and raw narrative style, deeply rooted in Viramontes's experiences growing up in East Los Angeles. The story explores the displacement caused by freeway construction in Mexican American neighborhoods and examines the emergence of Chicano youth gangs, emphasizing their effects on these communities.
Plot summary
Their Dogs Came With Them follows the lives of four young Mexican American women living in East Los Angeles during the 1960s. Each chapter is dedicated to one protagonist, with the storyline alternating between past and present to illustrate how their early experiences influence their current realities. The urban environment is dominated by freeway construction that forcibly removes families from their homes and by roadblocks established by the Quarantine Authority, purportedly to shield residents from rabid animals.
Turtle adopts a masculine demeanor to gain approval from her gang-involved brother, Luis Lil Lizard, seeking belonging. After suffering abuse, she becomes part of the McBride Homeboys and later ends up homeless when Luis is deployed to Vietnam. Ermila, orphaned and raised by grandparents disconnected from contemporary changes, finds solace among school friends amid the Chicano empowerment movement and personal struggles. Tranquilina, whose parents are missionaries, holds onto religious hope despite witnessing brutal acts such as the killing of Ermila’s cousin Nacho by McBride Boys. Ana commits herself to caring for her mentally ill brother Ben, who is burdened with guilt over a childhood incident resulting in another boy’s death under disputed circumstances. Together, these narratives depict the hardships confronting impoverished Mexican American communities in 1960s Los Angeles.
Reception
Since its 2007 release, Their Dogs Came With Them has garnered growing acclaim for its examination of colonial exploitation, especially highlighting concerns related to highway construction. Kate Soto observes that both the title and narrative reveal how the Quarantine Authority exercised control over Latinos in Los Angeles by regulating dog ownership as a pretext. The story serves as a metaphor for governmental authority and abuse, portraying the community’s mistreatment. Viramontes draws upon a lost cultural landscape of East LA, granting her artistic liberty grounded in personal recollection.
Social Connections
“I remember when there weren’t any freeways, then whole city blocks abandoned, neighbors disappeared. It devastated, amputated East LA from the rest of the city. The bulldozers resembled conqueror’s ships colonizing again, and I felt compelled to portray those who vanished.” — Helena Maria Viramontes during an interview with La Bloga.
Viramontes's writing is fueled by her dedication to narrating the experiences of Mexican Americans in East Los Angeles amid the political and social unrest of the 1960s and 1970s. Drawing from her upbringing and significant events such as the Vietnam War, Chicano Moratorium, poverty, Chicano gang activity, and freeway construction, the novel centers on four female leads confronting displacement and alienation. The freeway development acts as a central motif symbolizing neighborhood destruction and political marginalization that fractured East LA. Each character reacts uniquely—some join gangs while others turn toward faith—to endure within this divided setting.
The book also introduces the fictional Quarantine Authority, an organization enforcing roadblocks and curfews that "quarantine" the Chicano population under the pretense of controlling rabid dogs. This institution represents the systemic oppression isolating the community and underscores broader themes of domination and exclusion during Los Angeles’ urban transformation.