Accordion Eulogies: A Memoir of Music, Migration, and Mexico

In this poignant blend of personal and cultural history, Álvarez (Spirit Run) traces the roots of the accordion in an attempt to understand his estranged grandfather. Growing up in Yakima, Wash., all Álvarez knew for sure about his grandfather was that he brought his family to the United States from Mexico, abandoned them when Álvarez’s father was a child, and played the accordion. As an adult, Álvarez also learned to play the instrument, and set out across the U.S. to speak with accordion players and manufacturers in order to “retrace his [grandfather’s] steps and revive the spirit of the accordion in our family.” In Boston, New Orleans, and other cities, Álvarez learned of the accordion’s mechanical quirks and ties to oppressed communities worldwide, including Black Creoles and the Indigenous peoples of Mexico. His investigation led him back to his ancestral corner of Mexico, where he reconnected with his ailing grandfather in a meeting that ultimately left him cold. “I didn’t gain that much form my short encounter with my grandfather,” Álvarez writes. “But I am thankful for the person I grew into during my crazy pursuit of this idea of a grandfather.” With its rigorous curiosity and emotional vulnerability, Álvarez’s account makes a strong case that the journey is more important than the destination. Agent: Rebecca Gradinger, Fletcher & Co. (May)