Who Would Have Thought It?

María Amparo Ruiz De Burton was the first Mexican-American woman to write novels in English and the first nineteenth-century Californian writer to publish a novel in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. Her first book, Who Would Have Thought It?, tells the story of Lola, a young, orphaned Mexican girl rescued from Indian captors by one Dr Norval, who returns with Lola to his New England home. Through the riveting story of a girl's coming-of-age, Who Would Have Thought It? offers a stunning portrayal of the clash of cultures and communities, and a fresh perspective on Civil War America.

Mar+¡a Amparo Ruiz de Burton (1832-û1895) was born in Loreto, Baja Mexico. She is also the author of The Squatter and the Don.

Amelia Mar+¡a de la Luz Montes is an associate professor of English and ethnic studies at the University of Nebraska-ùLincoln.