The new edition, titled “Mariquita — Revisited,” features more details about Mariquita’s life, photos, and actual letters written by Mariquita and her loved ones.

“When I first published ‘Mariquita – A Guam Story’ 37 years ago, I wrote in the preface that it was the most difficult project I had ever undertaken. Today, I still hold that same opinion. But if I had to do it again, I would most likely do it. Why? Because a greater force was pushing me to write it,” Howard writes in the new book. “This edition … aside from editorial changes and the blending of Mariquita’s character, also corrects some misconceptions, provides more information, and reflects my better understanding of Chamorro culture and Guam history.”

The newly revisited book includes letters written by Howard’s father, mother, and grandmother before, during, and after the war as well as new photos from his family collection and from the University of Guam’s Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center.

“Mariquita – Revisited” will be released at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Micronesian Area Research Center in the second-floor lobby. The event will feature an author reading, book sales, and book signing.

In honor of Mariquita and her powerful story, Taiguini Books of the University of Guam Press will dedicate all proceeds made on the sale of this novel to publishing a collection of novels about the CHamoru experience titled the Mariquita Novel Series. Taiguini Books will seek fiction, historical fiction, and creative non-fiction novels that uncover key aspects of CHamoru history, culture, narratives, and epistemologies.

“Mariquita – Revisited” will be available for sale at the launch for $15 per book. After the launch, the book will also be sold at the UOG Triton Store, on Amazon, and at other local bookstores.

About University of Guam Press

The University of Guam Press publishes an array of academic and literary books and journals with a specific focus on the unique history, environment, peoples, cultures, and languages of the islands that make up the Western Pacific region. UOG Press strives to increase the availability of exceptional scholarly and literary texts that can be used as learning resources about Guam and Micronesia for people and institutions in the region and throughout the world. For more information, visit
www.uog.edu/uogpress.

About Taiguini Books

Taiguini Books is a division of University of Guam Press that publishes cultural literature for children and adults.