Written by Latino LGBTQ+ writer Rigoberto Gonzalez, Red-Inked Retablos (originally released in 2013) is his memoir. Through essays and stories, Gonzalez tells the story of his life - particularly his life in writing and his life in the Chicano LGBT community. He discusses writers that have influenced him, as well as his life as a gay man and how that has influenced him.
When it was released in 2013, Red-Inked Retablos received exceedingly positive reviews but wasn't very widely read. Says Publishers Weekly, which loved the book: "The end of the book makes an articulate and beautifully unapologetic case for art and activism from his two communities, queer and Latina/o (and not letting them off the hook, González criticizes each community for habitual exclusion of the other). In recounting his experiences and arguments, González's voice finds a wonderful synergy, staying intimate, compassionate, and uncompromising." Another reviewer thought similarly, saying that this collection of stories "signals an important shift in González's role as a writer."
