Although Hollywood tried to whitewash every woman who appeared on the silver screen, actress Dolores del Río was allowed to enchant the bosses with her Mexican beauty. She did not have to change anything about herself in order to reach the upper echelon of movie stardom before World War II. MISS DEL RÍO by Bárbara Mujica, the bestselling author of FRIDA, presents with literary flair and compassion the life of the first true Latina superstar in the United States.

"Readers get a wonderfully full and complete look at the life of this groundbreaking actress in a tome that reads like a literary melting pot..."

In 1910, Dolores flees Durango with her family as the Mexican Revolution finds its staying power. Relocating to Mexico City, she marries the worldly Jaime del Río at the age of 16. At one of Jaime’s fabulous city festas, Dolores meets an influential American film director who recognizes her star power and invites her to California. She runs off to Hollywood, and her career takes off from there.

Enjoying the company of such cinematic royalty as Marlene Dietrich and Orson Welles, Dolores is no stranger to the downside of her immigration to the US. Her off-screen life is complicated by family tragedies, Jaime’s betrayal and life-altering sadness. When the prejudices of the world sets a price on her head and the industry refers to her as “box office poison,” Dolores has to decide whether to stay in North America or recharge her career back in her home country, a move that could be great or disastrous. What will she choose?

“She was upset because she knew that her escapade with Orson was all wrong. Because she was in her thirties. Because her career was floundering. Because her marriages had failed. Because she’d never have children. I understood all that, but still, it hurt.” The young seamstress who tells us about Dolores in a dramatic and distinctive voice is with her for many of her highest highs and lowest lows. The story is infused with the gorgeous Mexican culture --- the dress, the music, the food, the magic that the del Ríos could create for each other in good times and bad. Mujica gives us a broad glimpse into the detailed and private dramas against which Dolores struggled throughout her life.

Readers get a wonderfully full and complete look at the life of this groundbreaking actress in a tome that reads like a literary melting pot, filled with the history of film, women in the 20th century, the life of immigrants pre-WWII, and all sorts of lively romantic escapades with famous and not-so-famous men. Her life is rich and exciting, and MISS DEL RÍO does true justice to this beautiful lady’s experiences and talents.