Colorado is full of familiar landmarks, neighborhoods, and family names. But what about the people whose stories were never carved into monuments or preserved in traditional history books?
Denver-born author Kali Fajardo-Anstine turns toward those missing stories in her nationally bestselling novel, Woman of Light. Fajardo-Anstine is a Colorado native whose work has earned national recognition, including a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her acclaimed story collection Sabrina & Corina was a National Book Award finalist and won an American Book Award.
In Woman of Light, readers meet Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a young tea-leaf reader and laundress navigating Denver during the 1930s. When her older brother Diego is driven out of the city by a violent white mob, Luz finds herself increasingly reliant on her own abilities. Through mysterious visions, she begins seeing generations of her Indigenous Chicano family and discovering pieces of a history that could otherwise disappear.
The novel reaches much farther than Luz's lifetime. Moving across five generations, Fajardo-Anstine connects Denver to what she calls the “Lost Territory,” creating a Western story in which Indigenous and Chicano families stand at the center rather than the margins.
That makes Woman of Light particularly compelling for readers in Centennial.
We live in a region where growth happens quickly. New neighborhoods rise, roads expand, and yesterday’s open spaces can become tomorrow’s developments. It can be easy to experience Colorado primarily through what we see today.
Fajardo-Anstine asks us to look underneath.
Who lived here before us? Which families helped shape Colorado but rarely appear in the stories we learned? And what changes when we begin seeing our community not as something that suddenly appeared, but as one chapter in a much longer human story?
Yet this is not history disguised as homework. Woman of Light is filled with relationships, romance, complicated families, violence, humor, secrets, supernatural gifts, and characters trying to build meaningful lives in an imperfect world.
For Centennial readers, perhaps its most powerful message is also its simplest: remembering matters.
Families pass down more than names and photographs. They pass down experiences, places, warnings, traditions, resilience, and stories. When those stories disappear, part of our understanding of where we live disappears with them.
Woman of Light gives some of those Colorado stories room to glow again.
Purchase Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine on Amazon.
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Never realized how much has changed here. Makes me want to pay more attention to the names on the street signs and who they’re really for.
Already read Woman of Light and it DOES glow. Highly recommend for anyone from Colorado. The family connections and city descriptions are on point.
Thank you for sharing your recommendation, we agree, the novel’s sense of place and deep family ties make it resonate for anyone connected to Colorado.
kayden_mI haven’t read it yet but keep hearing great things. I love when a book describes places I recognize or have family stories about. Definitely adding it to my list!
Thanks for sharing a book that puts our region’s older families at the center. It’s about time someone wrote this down!
Exactly! Bringing these stories to the forefront is a long overdue tribute to the families who built our region's foundation.
I’m not much of a reader, but the phrase ‘remembering matters’ hits me hard. Makes me wonder what stories I’ve missed in my own backyard.
Emmett PriceSame here. Makes me want to ask my grandparents more about their lives. There’s probably so much history right in our families that we never hear about.
Thank you for sharing, sometimes just asking those questions is the first step to discovering incredible stories close to home.
Love the description of Luz as a tea-leaf reader and laundress. Makes her sound so real. I hope we get more books like this!
The article got me thinking about what neighborhoods existed before mine. Time to look up a map from the 1930s!
That's a great idea! Old maps can reveal so much about the neighborhoods and communities that existed before, echoing the themes found in 'Woman of Light.'
I wish I saw more stories about the Jewish and Black communities in Denver too. Still, this sounds really important. Adding to cart.
Fajardo-Anstine’s writing is so good! Happy to see her getting recognition out here. Hopefully school libraries pick this up too.
We’re thrilled to see Fajardo-Anstine’s work recognized as well, and we hope 'Woman of Light' finds its way into many classrooms and libraries across Colorado.
Adding Woman of Light to my summer reading stack. Lately, I've wanted novels that connect me to place and people, not just plot.
That's exactly what Woman of Light offers: a powerful sense of place and deep family roots woven through generations, happy reading!
I appreciate books that mix real history and family drama. Sometimes textbooks just gloss over the hard stuff. Fiction feels more honest in a way.
Melissa Jane B.I know what you mean. Fiction sometimes gives a voice to people history books leave out. Plus, you really feel what folks might’ve gone through, instead of just memorizing dates.
Honestly kind of tired of all the new developments popping up everywhere. Stories like Luz’s are needed to remind us that there’s way more to Colorado than just what’s being built now.
I remember my abuelo talking about Denver back in the day. It’s great someone’s finally honoring those untold stories. Added to my reading list.
We love hearing memories like this, Fajardo-Anstine’s novel truly honors the people and stories that shaped Denver across generations. Hope you enjoy the book!
What a beautiful concept, remembering not just with names or dates, but with the memories and struggles of real people. I’m inspired to ask my grandparents more about our own roots.
I’m all for learning about the past, but sometimes stories like this can get pretty heavy. Does anyone know if Woman of Light is a fast read?
Rayce F.It actually moves along quicker than you might expect! There are some tough moments, but the way the story flows and the characters pull you in. I finished it in just a few days.
Not sure why history gets left out of schools here. At least these novels fill in some of the gaps. I hope more people read it and learn something.
I wonder if other places are missing just as much history as Centennial. We need more stories like this.
Wasn't sure about the mix of magic and history, but now I'm interested. Sounds less like a lecture, more like an actual story.
This is why local authors matter. Everybody always talks about the Coors or the Browns, but not the families like mine. Thanks for highlighting this book.
Thank you so much for your comment, it's exactly why stories like this are so important to share. Local voices expand our understanding of Colorado's true history and the families who shaped it.
Eileen M.Yes, exactly. We rarely get to see families like ours written about, especially by someone who gets what growing up here is like. Glad this book’s getting attention.
Gonna look up this author. Never heard of her before, but I grew up in Denver and miss seeing my neighborhood’s old stories. I hope I recognize some places in it!
I grew up in Aurora and never heard any history except gold rush stuff. Surprised and a little embarrassed.
I can’t wait to share this with my book group. Colorado authors deserve more love, and this seems like one to spark a lot of discussion.
Does anyone know if Fajardo-Anstine is doing readings locally? I'd love to hear her talk about writing Denver.
Interesting idea, but I don’t usually go for books with visions and supernatural stuff. Still, the five generations thing grabs my attention. I might give it a shot.
My abuelita would've loved seeing our kind of stories in a novel. Will be gifting this to my cousins!
That's so meaningful to hear, this novel is truly a celebration of stories that have often gone untold, and we hope it will connect with your family just as deeply.
Always here for some supernatural twists in historical novels! Luz sounds like an interesting character.
I wish books like Woman of Light counted in school curriculums. Feels more real than the old textbooks.
Stories like this show how complicated Colorado really is. More than just ski towns and hiking trails.
It’s easy to forget what came before all these new houses and shops. Thanks for the reminder that every place has so many stories. This book sounds really good.
Are there any local book clubs reading this? I think my group would love to dig into the history and family drama.
The Lost Territory idea is fascinating. Didn’t realize Denver had so much untold Chicano history.
Love that she includes Indigenous and Chicano families at the center. Feels like we don’t see that enough. Ordering this book for my aunt.
I read Sabrina & Corina last year and loved it! Excited to see Kali Fajardo-Anstine has another book set right here. These are the types of stories I've been hungry for.
Wow, I had no idea there was a novel about Denver's history from this angle. Luz sounds like such a unique character. I think stories like this make our local history feel real.
We're so glad you connected with Luz's story, her perspective brings new life to our region’s history and gives voice to so many families whose stories are rarely told.
Loved the emphasis on resilience. My parents moved to Colorado in the 60s and it’s wild thinking about all the lives here before ours.
Wasn't sure this was my kind of book, but all those awards got my attention. Adding it to my TBR list.
Thank you for giving it a chance, those awards speak to just how much Kali Fajardo-Anstine's storytelling resonates with readers from all backgrounds.
So true about neighborhoods changing overnight! Hard to feel rooted sometimes. Stories like this help.
Just finished reading this! The way Luz has those visions is so cool. Makes you think what your own ancestors went through.
Don JacksonTotally! Made me curious about what my own family went through back when Denver was so different. Luz’s visions kind of make you look at your own roots differently, right?
Wish we learned more about these stories in school, not just the names on the buildings.
Had to read Sabrina & Corina for college and really enjoyed it, but Woman of Light sounds even more up my alley with the time period and family history.
Love that the novel is set here in Colorado. Feels more personal than a book about New York or LA.
My grandma still remembers her family stories from Pueblo. These books make me appreciate how much gets lost when we forget.
I always walk by those old laundry buildings in Denver, never knew there was so much Chicano and Indigenous history around here.
Glad someone is telling the stories that usually get pushed aside. Makes me want to learn more about who lived in Centennial before all the developments.
I read Sabrina & Corina last year and absolutely loved it. Can't wait to get my hands on this new one!
If you enjoyed Sabrina & Corina, you're in for another treat, Woman of Light expands on those rich themes with even more generational history and unforgettable characters.