by Dale Erquiaga (Author)

In 1950, a simple wedding toast highlights the bringing together of two Basque families, culminating and combining their immigrant stories and launching a new American tale. Three Wives' Tales provides a glimpse into the lives of Victoria, Eladia, and Annie, three formidable women who served as the backbone of their families in the American West. Victoria leaves her tiny village in Bizkaia to seek work and struggles to overcome her superstitions and Old Country ways. Eladia, cut off from her family for marrying a man beneath her social class, hesitates to embrace her new Nevada home. Optimistic Annie, whose marriage brings the two families together, does her best to fulfill the promise of American opportunity. Woven together as a work of historical fiction, the memoirs and family lore of these three Nevada women capture a journey of self-discovery filled with wisdom and strength that other Basque and immigrant families will recognize. Three Wives' Tales was the winner of the 2020 Basque Writing Contest sponsored by the University of Nevada, Reno, and Boise State University. The author is the son and grandson of the tale's protagonists.

Author Biography

Dale Erquiaga is a second-generation Nevadan, the grandson of Spanish
Basque immigrants on both sides of his family. He was raised on a family
farm and began writing for the local newspapers when he was in high
school. He worked for President Ronald Reagan, two Nevada governors, and
numerous other politicians. Dale served as Nevada's state
superintendent of public instruction, national president of Communities
In Schools, and acting chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher
Education. Today he is retired but remains a nationally recognized
strategist, policywonk, and storyteller. Dale holds a bachelor's degree
in political science from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a master's
degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University. The proud father of
two and grandfather of six currently resides in his hometown of Fallon
with his dog, Ezra.

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