Chuy's Memoir
We Heard It When We Were Young
Most agree that West Liberty is a special place. The first majority Hispanic town in Iowa, it has been covered by media giants such as Reuters, Telemundo, NBC, and ESPN. But Chuy Renteria and his friends grew up in the space between these news stories, where a more complicated West Liberty awaits. We Heard It When We Were Young tells the story of a young boy, first-generation Mexican American, who is torn between cultures: between immigrant parents trying to acclimate to midwestern life and a town that was, by turns, supportive and disturbingly antagonistic.
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About Chuy
Jesus “Chuy” Renteria is an author, artist, dancer, and teacher, but above all, they are a storyteller. Born in Iowa City and raised in West Liberty IA, both sides of his family are from border towns in Mexico that transplanted to meatpacking towns in the Midwest. Growing up in West Liberty, they oscillated between the Mexican, Laotian, and small-town cultures that made up Iowa’s first majority-Hispanic town. Chuy tells stories celebrating the spaces between cultures, of mangled Spanglish and generational clashes, of the messiness of people finding themselves.
Chuy Renteria
What People Are Saying
“Full of heart and humor, We Heard It When We Were Young reframes the American narrative in a way that feels urgent. Renteria’s nostalgia-wrapped traumas of growing up—the visceral violence, continuous reckonings, and complex friendships—shatter and mend your heart all at once. In this poignant debut, Chuy Renteria does not hold back, examining the past with an honesty that gives you chills from beginning to end. Above all, the love Renteria has for the unique Iowa town of West Liberty shines unapologetically through.”
Xochitl Gonzalez, author, Olga Dies Dreaming
On We Heard It When We Were Young
“A beautiful and at times chilling portrayal of dislocation and the ways in which immigration shapes and defines our experiences. The themes of return and siblinghood anchor this affecting tale about a Mexican American family whose children are ill at ease in their country and the country of their parents, where culture, family, and even love remain just out of reach. The writer skillfully juggles time and suspense, in the process reminding us life is merely a series of escapades during which we trudge along hopeful, arms extended.”
Alejandro Varela, author, The Town of Babylon
On Maijoma My Sister
“A heartfelt and vibrant debut, We Heard It When We Were Young chronicles an important Iowan narrative from a first-generation Mexican immigrant perspective. Chuy Renteria’s conversational storytelling is by turns funny and wrenching as he explores the cultural dissonance between neighbors and within families as one small Iowa town evolves.”
Rachel Yoder, author, Nightbitch
On We Heard It When We Were Young
“Chuy Renteria writes what no one else can. He writes as a b-boy, a first-generation Mexican American, a small-town Iowan, a friend, a son, and a brother. The result is part bildungsroman and part unique socio-cultural exploration. His writing is fascinating, moving, and full of kinetic style.”
Jennifer Collvile, author, Elegies for Uncanny Girls
On We Heard It When We Were Young