the Day of Innocents

The Day of the Innocents is centered on a wager between three Mexican-American teenagers, their Mexican cousin, and a rich Mexican uncle in the 1970's. The story recounts a real life youthful summertime adventure in the Mexican desert as the teens re-build a ranch house for a chance to own a section of the ranch. The teens are confronted with many physical, natural, emotional, cultural, and mystical challenges and are mentored by an old wood cutter who brings them a daily meal. The book describes a boy to man rite of passage written in a distinctive Latino voice. I was inspired to write the book many years ago to relive the adventure, to communicate a message of the value of cultural identity in young Latinos, to give back to my community, and to have this story so my family could always remember this time.