'The ABCs of Lowriding' takes readers through the world of lowrider culture

“ABCs of Lowriding” is not just a book for children teaching them the alphabet, it's also for those interested in learning about lowriding culture's basics.

Originally from San Jose, California, author Ricardo Cortez began lowriding at the age of 12 and rapidly developed a passion for building model cars and lowrider bikes, which eventually led him to inherit his grandfather's classic cars, a 1967 Buick LeSabre and a 1954 GMC, which he calls Lola.

For those who grew up seeing lowriders cruising up and down the streets, we know that lowriding isn't just about their amazing cars but also about a culture and a lifestyle surrounded by people and traditions.

Cortez told CALÓ News that his mission with "The ABC's of Lowriding" is to have a book that represents the culture in an authentic way from somebody who is a part of the culture. “A lot of times we'll get these books about lowriders that are written from an outsider's perspective and it's not always accurate and it's very, I think, surface level just talking about the cars when the culture itself is so much more than just the cars,” Cortez said.

“The ABC's of Lowriding” takes readers of all ages on a captivating journey through the world of lowrider culture. This book will teach you about many aspects of lowrider culture, from painting to influential people. Cortez believes that lowrider culture is crucial to Chicanos and the Mexican American community.

“Lowriding is another form of self expression. Chicanos already have so many cultural methods of expressing themselves, but in this book, they learn about murals, music, food and dances. It's like we're a colorful community,” he said. “So for us to take these vehicles that were predominantly you know, more like an Anglo form of customization like from hot rods and custom cars, you have this culture that becomes a parallel creative outlet for the Chicano community. And so with the lowriders, it's a way for us to express various parts of our culture in our cars. And so that the car then becomes part of the identity of the person and of the Chicano.”

Another reason why he wrote this book is because he found a lack of representation in the children's book market when he wanted to read to his four year old at the time. “I wanted to read to my daughter about the culture, I was already taking her to car shows [since] she was pretty much born,” he said.

He also said that over the years, they would give his daughters books, and when he wanted to see what they had on lowriders or Chicano culture, there was nothing that existed. “Everything that did exist was actually out of print and what I could find on eBay was used copies of old books and they weren't even that good. And so I was like, alright, it's time to get something new in the market that represents the culture in a real way,” he stated.

Cortez attended Santa Clara University, where he studied art and now works as a creative director. “I am an artist and marketer by vocation and something this creative became a personal project that I needed to see happen,” Cortez said.

He also said that the children’s market is wide open for these types of books, as there aren’t many about Latino culture and its community. The San Jose Public Library was a key component in bringing Cortez's book to life.

“The San Jose Public Library was one of the first people to purchase a bulk order of books, and they basically were able to get the book out to the various districts in the community so that the book could be available for free for people to read,” he said.

Even though Cortez is selling the books on his website, and to wholesale retailers, he wanted to make sure that the book was going to be accessible to everybody, regardless of their financial situation. So he partnered with the library to get books out to the community. “All you need is a library card and you could get them for free and be able to read it,” he said.

Aside from being an author he is also an innovator at heart who uses STEAM concepts mixed with lowrider themes to create one of a kind artwork that is educational. As a Chicano artist working with technology, sculpture and culture, Cortez aspires to continue to educate about lowrider culture to the next generation of cruisers.

“The ABCs of Lowriding” is printed on premium paper, which is full of colorful pages. The book is written by Cortez, illustrated by Isacc Herrera, and co-edited by John Ulloa. Up until now, each release has sold out and orders can be placed at LowriderABC.com.