It took 47 years for Victor Villaseñor to write Crazy Loco Love, a book that speaks of ancestry, identity, culture and family.

And during that time, he learned to become un hombre — a man of responsibility, of heart and of knowledge.

Villaseñor, whose work has been compared to that of John Steinbeck, will be reading from his latest book and speaking about his journey of self-discovery and the importance of literacy in life at a fundraising event today for Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe.

According to Letty Naranjo, executive director of the organization, a significant number of adults in Santa Fe lack the necessary reading skills to fill out a job application, help their children with school work or read a newspaper.

"Literacy is an important issue. If words cannot be spoken or read, a community cannot thrive," said Naranjo, whose organization provided over 17,000 hours of volunteer instruction to adults in Santa Fe County last year.

About 75 percent of its students are English-as-a-second-language learners who come from countries such as Mexico, Peru, Japan, China and Russia. The other 25 percent are native English speakers who read below a seventh-grade level, Naranjo said. That's why inviting an author such as Villaseñor can be inspiring, she said.

Villaseñor, who suffers from dyslexia, not only faced countless learning challenges in school but also witnessed discrimination, he said. "English was beaten into me," he said in a telephone interview. "I felt raped and beaten when English-only was enforced."

For years, Villaseñor, author of Rain of Gold, Burro Genius and seven other books, didn't speak Spanish and forgot Yaqui, the native language his Mexican grandmother had taught him.

Learning to appreciate culture and heritage is something that is being lost. It's a possible explanation for why so many Hispanic youth feel lost today, he said.

In a recorded interview on his Web site, Villaseñor said Crazy Loco Love was "the hardest book to write."

The book reveals Villaseñor's life and the importance of familia. In the first two chapters, he speaks of learning right from wrong, of finding himself, his identity in order to become what his father called un hombre.

Shortly before his 16th birthday, he writes, his father told him, "It takes real guts and responsibility to go through these years that you're about to go through. The body and mind yearn for life. The confusion of love and mating is going on inside of you like at no other time. These are your crazy-loco years, so you got to be strong, mijito, and keep both eyes open, especially if you're a man."

Contact Sandra Martinez at 986-3062 or smartinez@lvnm.net.

If you go

What: Evening with author Victor Villaseñor

When: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. tonight

Where: Scottish Rite Masonic Center, at the corner of Paseo de Peralta and Washington Street

Who: Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe

Cost: $100, available at the door. Admission includes a silent auction, hors d'oeuvres, dinner and prizes.