Chicano Frankenstein

Daniel A. Olivas, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, was born and raised near downtown Los Angeles. He is an award-winning author of fiction, nonfiction, plays, and poetry including, My Chicano Heart: New and Collected Stories of Love and Other Transgressions (University of Nevada Press, forthcoming), How to Date a Flying Mexican: New and Collected Stories (University of Nevada Press), and Things We Do Not Talk About: Exploring Latino/a Literature through Essays and Interviews (San Diego State University Press). Widely anthologized, he has written on culture and literature for The New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, Los Angeles Times, Alta Journal, Jewish Journal, Zócalo, and The Guardian. He writes regularly for La Bloga, a site dedicated to Latinx literature and the arts. Olivas received his degree in English literature from Stanford University, and law degree from UCLA. By day, Olivas is an attorney and makes his home in Southern California with his wife (and law school sweetheart), Susan Formaker, who is an administrative law judge.

As featured in NPR's "Code Switch," Literary Hub, Hip Latina, Locus, Town and Country, Publishers Weekly, Latinx Pop Magazine, Library Journal, Book Riot, Boston Review, Alta Journal, Latino Book Review, Barrelhouse, Daily Journal, Foreword Reviews, Somos en Escrito, Lupita Reads, Fearsome Fiction, The Monster Book Club, Book Trib, The Frankencast, and Geek Girl AuthoritySilver award, IBPA Book AwardFinalist, Foreword INDIESOne of "The 15 Best Frankenstein Retellings," Town and Country"An intriguing read."—Library Journal"An exciting contemporary adaptation."—Book RiotMarch's Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books—Literary Hub"Sharp political satire." —Elisa Shoenberger, Reactor Magazine"Takes a magnifying glass to American life and politics." —Latinx Pop Magazine"Inventive and compellingly readable."—The Rumpus"Urgently relevant." —Latino Book Review"Clever political commentary."—Foreword Reviews"An arresting thought experiment."—Publishers Weekly"Captivating."—Daily Journal2024's New Horror Books—Jump Scares"Explores deep themes of identity, belonging, assimilation, and the essence of humanity." —Hispanic Executive"100 books for Christmas and holiday gifts recommended by Southern California bookstores"—The Orange County RegisterBest book of 2024—Mo Daviau, Annie Bloom's Books“If you’re looking for a reverberating literary experiment in a speedy read, Daniel Olivas’s Chicano Frankenstein is the book for you. In this literary pastiche of timeless novels, beloved TV, and familiar political narratives, the love story of Faustina and the man will reanimate your deepest expectations of humanism into new understandings of monstrosity.” —Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming“In Daniel A. Olivas’s alt-world political satire Chicano Frankenstein, we follow his reanimated main character, ‘the man,’ in his search for identity in a world that is increasingly hostile to him and his kind. With its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, this important novel is at once frightening and humorous, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once as Olivas cleverly delivered his cautionary message, served with a basket of fresh baked pan dulce.” —Orlando Ortega-Medina, author of The Fitful Sleep of Immigrants "Chicano Frankenstein is not just a reinterpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic but a powerful critique of the US social and political order that condones harassment and exclusion. Olivas’s novel is set in a near-future world wrestling with the moral complexities of reanimating the dead to feed the shrinking and lustful capitalist workforce."—Jamal Awil, Runestone Journal“In the genre-bending tradition of Mary Shelley, Daniel Olivas's latest novel Chicano Frankenstein expertly stitches together gothic political satire, science fiction, and existential metafiction to expose the racist and classist hypocrisies that undergird the American political economy under tyrannical right-wing leaders.” —Eileen M. Hunt, author of Artificial Life After Frankenstein "In a near-future Pasadena, Daniel A. Olivas resurrects Mary Shelley's creation to glorious effect, making it clear who the monsters really are in a world where a cynical government sees resurrected humans as pawns to use, abuse, and discard. The real trick of this speculative political satire is that corruption and peril co-exist with compassion, humor, and large doses of Chicano joy. I loved every page-turning minute!"—Michelle Ruiz Keil, author of Summer in the City of Roses“Haunting in its implications, astute in its observations about how polarized we’ve become around the simple question of what it means to be human, Daniel Olivas’s Chicano Frankenstein is ultimately an empathetic exploration of the heart told in spare, but beautiful prose. Olivas is a master storyteller and this book is another of his triumphs!” —Rubén Degollado, author of The Family Izquierdo"Based on the story of a monster, this book is about a man created from more than one corpse—reanimated from spare parts, as it were—and, in a world that looks and feels very much like our modern world, made to feel other and much less than human."—Jennifer Silva Redmond, author of Honeymoon at SeaPast Praise for Daniel A. Olivas  “…a major American talent.” —Luis Alberto Urrea, author of Good Night, Irene “Daniel Olivas is an exciting writer whose prose rings with humor, insight, and power.” —Daniel Alarcón, author of At Night We Walk in Circles “Olivas is adept at establishing character in a sentence or two; he creates an image, a moment of self-deception, in which we come to know these characters intimately and easily imagine their entire lives...” —Los Angeles Times “[A]n important voice in Latinx literature.” —BuzzFeed “Daniel Olivas is a real modern-day superhero. Land use and conservation attorney by day and poet, playwright, fiction author, editor, and essayist by night, Olivas works relentlessly to transform our world for the better.” —American Book Review “Olivas’s work is surreal, dystopian, critical, and introspective, ultimately moving into contemporary political rhetoric.”  —Alta Journal