Selena Quintanilla Perez was considered by many as the first female superstar in the Tejano music industry. Yolanda Saldivar was the president of Selena’s fan club and a dedicated employee. On March 31, 1995 Saldivar shot Selena at a Corpus Christi motel causing her death from the single gunshot. The shooting left many unanswered questions. This is a first-hand account of the trial of Yolanda Saldivar for the murder of Selena. It is a riveting, behind the scenes look at what happened before, during and after the trial as told by the man in charge of the prosecution, District Attorney Carlos Valdez. Learn the surprising answers to all of the questions raised during the trial. You’ll sit with the prosecution team as the trial unfolds and watch, not just what was publicly seen by the spectators, but also what went on beyond the glare of the media lights. Narrated in an easy-to-read, conversational style, by one of the principal players in this real life drama, this book is a must-read for anyone who has lingering questions about why the murder occurred in the first place. Every question will be answered.

There is no doubt that Yolanda Saldivar pulled the trigger and killed the beloved Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla Perez. But does any of us know what really happened in Room 158 of the Days Inn, moments before Yolanda fired the gun that took Selena's life? Maria Celeste Arraras has many answers - and her unrivaled coverage of the murder, the trial, and the aftermath have made her an expert on the Selena case.

The district attorney who prosecuted the case against Yolanda Saldivar offers a firsthand account of the trial involving the death of Selena Quintanilla Perez, the Tejano music superstar whose murder sent shockwaves throughout the music world.

Selena Quintanilla was a vibrant performer, wildly popular in the growing field of Tejano music. But her rising star suddenly fell when she was murdered at the age of 23. Now her life, her work, and her musical legacy have been documented. This work recounts Selena's tragically short life, from the ups and downs of her career to her stunning transformation into a sensual Latina superstar.

An outpouring of memorial tributes and public expressions of grief followed the death of the Tejana recording artist Selena Quintanilla Pérez in 1995. The Latina superstar was remembered and mourned in documentaries, magazines, websites, monuments, biographies, murals, look-alike contests, musicals, drag shows, and more. Deborah Paredez explores the significance and broader meanings of this posthumous celebration of Selena, which she labels “Selenidad.” She considers the performer’s career and emergence as an icon within the political and cultural transformations in the United States during the 1990s, a decade that witnessed a “Latin explosion” in culture and commerce alongside a resurgence of anti-immigrant discourse and policy. Paredez argues that Selena’s death galvanized Latina/o efforts to publicly mourn collective tragedies (such as the murders of young women along the U.S.-Mexico border) and to envision a brighter future. At the same time, reactions to the star’s death catalyzed political jockeying for the Latino vote and corporate attempts to corner the Latino market. Foregrounding the role of performance in the politics of remembering, Paredez unravels the cultural, political, and economic dynamics at work in specific commemorations of Selena. She analyzes Selena’s final concert, the controversy surrounding the memorial erected in the star’s hometown of Corpus Christi, and the political climate that served as the backdrop to the touring musicals Selena Forever and Selena: A Musical Celebration of Life. Paredez considers what “becoming” Selena meant to the young Latinas who auditioned for the biopic Selena, released in 1997, and she surveys a range of Latina/o queer engagements with Selena, including Latina lesbian readings of the star’s death scene and queer Selena drag. Selenidad is a provocative exploration of how commemorations of Selena reflected and changed Latinidad.

Dreaming brings together lyrical renditions, little boys dancing "the washing machine," prayers over velas, and odes to purple, sparkly hips swaying to cumbia beats. There's thirty-three works of poetry, prose, and fiction on these pages that provide such narratives: "For Selena" by Timothy Daily-Valdés, "One of Us: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez" by Nancy de la Zerda, "La Milagrosa Selena" by Rubén Degollado and plenty more pieces showing the world the impact she continues to make on the dance floor and across generations.

Maria Celeste Arraras has many answers - and her unrivaled coverage of the murder, the trial, and the aftermath for Univision's Primer Impacto have made her the undisputed expert on the Selena case.

Discover why Selena, the Queen of Tejano music, became one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the twentieth century! As a young girl, Selena Quintanilla sang in a band called Selena y Los Dinos with her brother and sister. The family performed at fairs, weddings, quinceañeras, and on street corners in their native Texas. Selena learned how to sing in Spanish and soon became hugely popular within the Latino community--so much so that she became the best-selling Latin artist of the 1990s. Selena was poised to be a great success, but her life was cut short after being fatally wounded by the president of her fan club. Selena's contributions to music and fashion during her life made her one of the top Latin musicians in the 1990s, and readers will want to know more about the woman who introduced the world to Tejano music.

Newly revised and updated, Mexicanos tells the rich and vibrant story of Mexicans in the United States. Emerging from the ruins of Aztec civilization and from centuries of Spanish contact with indigenous people, Mexican culture followed the Spanish colonial frontier northward and put its distinctive mark on what became the southwestern United States. Shaped by their Indian and Spanish ancestors, deeply influenced by Catholicism, and tempered by an often difficult existence, Mexicans continue to play an important role in U.S. society, even as the dominant Anglo culture strives to assimilate them. Thorough and balanced, Mexicanos makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of the Mexican population of the United States—a growing minority who are a vital presence in 21st-century America.

A Father's Dream: My Family's Journey in Music chronicles the life of a musician, performer, man of God, and successful Mexican American entrepreneur. This is the story of a man who has experienced great joy and even greater pain, but by holding onto the strength embedded in each of us, embracing the love of family, and leaning on his faith in God, he is able to move forward toward the future with a positive disposition. Abraham Quintanilla takes the reader on the journey of his life, a life that reflects the up and down experiences of a self-made success. With a raw emotion and honesty, he shares the twists and turns of a road many readers may have been forced to travel and a few others hope never to traverse. From the sublime joys of fatherhood, to the accomplishment of creating a musical empire and surviving its failures, he shares the unexpected life events that make up each of our lives. Every reader will gain a stronger sense of humanity and a deeper understanding of just how precious and fleeting life can be from reading this memoir. Readers will also be given a close and personal view into the behind-the-scenes intricacies of a successful family business. Share the joy a parent feels for their children's success. And most of all, readers will understand the human need to embrace one's own talents. Finally, anyone who picks up this book and reads it will come to know that unforeseen tragedy can and does happen, but with faith and family as our support system, we are able to pick up the pieces of our broken hearts and walk bravely into the future with our newfound hope lighting the way.