Chicana writer Cherríe Moraga is the author of the literary memoir, “Native Country of the Heart.” It explores not just Moraga’s life, but that of her mother, Elvira. Elvira was born in 1914. Her father hired 11-year-old Elvira and her siblings as cotton pickers in California. As a young teen, she worked at a Tijuana casino that was frequented by Hollywood stars and mob bosses.