"Bless Me, Ultima" chronicles the coming-of-age story of Antonio, a young boy growing up in New Mexico during World War II, and his relationship with Ultima, an elderly traditional Hispanic healer, or curandera. The novel was one of 30 books selected for The Big Read, a National Endowment for the Arts initiative designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. It also was selected to be included in the 2009 United States Academic Decathlon. Gov. Bill Richardson announced the film last week.