Of Dreams & Thorns Hardcover -

From the publisher

Of Dreams and Thorns, a novel: Based on real people and events, this is the quintessential story of every American family, and every family anywhere, that has ever been uprooted, dislocated, or transplanted. It is a story about dreams, struggles, sorrows, and triumphs. It is a story of real people finding their way in the world and of real lives ever interdependent and ever tragicomic.

But this book is not a "woe is me, immigrant, life is so unfair" kind of story. There are no victims here. Rather, it is a portrait of the character and passions on one man, his family, and his fellow life-travelers in an immigrant community. It is also a landscape, or tapestry that captures the splendors of this collection of characters that only comes from an intimacy with their various human dimensions - warts and all. You will meet Ramiro, a strong-willed, self-reliant, deeply passionate man, who is at times a dreamer, sometimes defiant, sometimes tyrannical, but always in control of the ship that carries his lovely wife, Eliza, and their seven children. Ramiro's hopes and dreams are modest and realistic, yet, as the title suggests, the book shows that a man's best plans can often go astray. Indeed, it is Ramiro's - and his family's - resilience and courage in fighting for his beliefs, that will capture your heart and imagination.