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America Libre [Paperback]

Raul Ramos y Sanchez (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)


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Book Description

July 29, 2009
After years of anti-immigrant backlash, anger seethes in the nation's Latino communities. The crowded streets bristle with restless youth, idled by a deep recession. When undercover detectives in San Antonio accidentally kill a young Latina bystander during a botched drug bust, riots erupt across the Southwest. As the inner-city violence escalates, Anglo vigilantes strike back with shooting rampages. Exploiting the turmoil, a congressional demagogue succeeds in passing legislation that transforms the nation's Hispanic enclaves into walled-off Quarantine Zones. Citizens tagged Class H-those who are Hispanic, are married to a Hispanic, or have at least one grandparent of Hispanic origin-are forced into detention centers. Amid the chaos in his L.A. barrio, Manolo Suarez is out of work and struggling to support his growing family. But under the spell of a beautiful Latina radical, the former U.S. Army Ranger and decorated war veteran now finds himself questioning his loyalty to his wife-and to his country.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sanchez's debut is a sweeping, intense novel of extremism, fear and consequences. In Los Angeles in the near future, tensions run high between Hispanics and Anglos, especially after the death of an innocent Latina bystander in Texas sparks nationwide riots. In need of a job, ex-Army Ranger Manolo Mano Suaraz joins La Defensa del Pueblo, started by wealthy Ramon Garcia to foster Hispanic unity in the face of Anglo violence. Despite his wife's growing reservations, Mano and the group are able to turn Hispanic gangs into allies against a common enemy. As violence and fear escalate—and are manipulated—Quarantine Zones and camps are created to segregate Hispanics from the general population. Mano, who dedicated his life to patriotism, sees his own country turn on him because of his heritage, disregarding his value as an individual. Originally self-published, Ramos y Sanchez's ambitious, cautionary tale poses questions without easy answers, but its flaw, ironically, is the lack of diversity, with all the characters being either Hispanic or Anglo. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"In such explosive times as ours, it is rare to discover a novel that captures fanaticism in all its extremes and tells a story as thrilling and vibrant as Raul Ramos y Sanchez's AMERICA LIBRE. Future and history collide in a cautionary tale of a new Civil War on American soil. A must-read for all, no matter where you draw your line in the sand."

(James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Oracle )

"Raul Ramos y Sanchez breaks new ground with America Libre. This debut novel is fast-paced and powerfully written-a story that not only entertains but challenges readers to examine their beliefs. Definitely an author to watch. " (Rueben Martínez, founder, Librería Martínez Books & Art Gallery )

"A sweeping, intense novel of extremism, fear and consequences." (Publishers Weekly )

"Provocative!" (USA Today )

"[Raul Ramos y Sanchez] Remember that name because you'll be hearing it time and time again. His next novel, House Divided, is scheduled to be published in 2011, and I for one, can't wait to read it." (LatinoStories.com )

Product Details

  • Paperback: 373 pages
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (July 29, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 044650775X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446507752
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #950,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author Highlights:

Author named #1 among "2011 Top Ten Latino Authors" by LatinoStories.com

AMERICA LIBRE wins a Books Into Movies Award - Latino Literacy Now

AMERICA LIBRE wins a Best Novel Award - International Latino Book Awards

AMERICA LIBRE named Violet Crown Awards Fiction Finalist, Writers League of Texas

AMERICA LIBRE selected as a USA Today 2009 Summer Read

AMERICA LIBRE a LATINA Magazine "10 Hottest Summer Reads" for 2009

Besides developing a documentary for public television, Two Americas: The Legacy of our Hemisphere, Raul is host of MyIimmigrationStory.com -- an online forum for the U.S. immigrant community. He began writing America Libre in 2004, with the input of scholars from Latin America, Spain, and the United States. After five months as a self-published edition, America Libre, was acquired by Grand Central Publishing (formerly Warner Books). A revised version of the novel by Grand Central Publishing was released July 29, 2009. Grand Central Publishing also acquired House Divided, the sequel to America Libre. House Divided's release is January 28, 2011.

In his own words...

"January" is the first English word I ever learned. I read it on the calendar thumbtacked to the wall of our apartment in the Bronx. Han-noo-a-ree, I pronounced it. That was in the winter of 1957. My mother had just divorced my father and moved us from Havana to New York City. My father was busy trying to overthrow Batista and my mother thought her prospects for raising a seven-year-old son looked much better sewing sequins on evening gowns in the midtown garment district than in a Cuban prison. Thanks, mamá. You made the right call.

Since mastering that first English word, the power and joy of words have become my life. I not only love words, I've made a living from them. First, composing them into pages as a graphic designer, and later arranging them into sentences as an advertising writer. After twenty-four years of creating the fiction commonly known as advertising, I decided to start telling my own stories.

America Libre is my first novel. The idea came when the producer I was working with on a public television film said, "You should write a book about this." The film was a comparative study of the political and racial landscapes of the U.S. and Latin America. Despite the project's impressive collection of international scholars, we were struggling to find funding. Inspired by the producer's idea, I began to write while waiting for the foundations to respond. Soon, the characters came to life and took the story far beyond the original scope of the film. The longer the foundations took, the more I wrote. Seventy-five thousand words later, I realized this piece of fiction had expressed the message of the film in a much more compelling way. I'm still waiting for the funding on the film.

Reflecting on my past, it's not surprising I would write about a rebellion. I saw one unfold firsthand between 1957 and 1961 in Cuba. Staying with my father during summer breaks from U.S. schooling, I experienced the life of an insurgent. My father and uncle ran contraband supplies to Castro using a used tire business as a cover. Perhaps most sobering was learning how fragile a government can be. Fulgencio Batista fled the island in 1959. Overnight, the police and military no longer had the might to maintain public order.

Castro's sudden rise to power transformed Cuba. During the anti-American rallies Castro fomented, I heard my relatives shout hateful slogans about people I knew and loved in Miami. Castro was preparing Cuba for war and I saw how some leaders use hate, fear, and patriotism for their own ends. As an eleven-year-old I received military weapons training. That's how desperate Castro's war preparations were.

Thanks to my mother, I managed to escape. She returned to Cuba and arranged a trip for us to visit relatives in Madrid. When our flight made a stop in Bermuda, we got off the plane. Eventually, we were able to return to the United States. We have not had any contact with our Cuban relatives since that day. These experiences were the wellspring for many of the characters and scenes of America Libre.

 

Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
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2 star:    (0)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Timely Novel, August 25, 2009
By 
Raymond Ng (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: America Libre (Paperback)
AMERICA LIBRE is a thought provoking novel that challenges one to question the extent of loyalty in the face of seemingly misplaced angst. Its fast-paced narrative style makes it a engaging discussion item for reading groups touching upon the topic of societal integration and domestic terrorism. My only peeve is with the lack of glossary for Hispanic slangs used sparingly in the book. Whilst missing, it certainly didn't detract me from enjoying this thriller. Kudos to Raul for a fine debut!
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars exciting timely tale, July 25, 2009
This review is from: America Libre (Paperback)
In El Paso, a cop shoots and kills a Latina youth. The Hispanic community in the border city is outraged and rioting occurs. The Texas Governor calls in the National Guard to quell the riots and prevent looting. Shots are fired and twenty-three Latinas are killed.

Across the country there is horror from many quarters and defense of the use of force from others. However, Latinas explode in outrage. In Los Angeles tensions between Hispanics and Anglos are boiling over with every incident and rumor escalating the tension. Wealthy Ramon Garcia creates the La Defensa del Pueblo to protect Hispanics from the Anglo backlash. Unemployed former Army Ranger Manolo "Mano" Suaraz is one of the veterans who enlist over the objection of his frightened wife as he obtains work as a bodyguard. Soon La Defensa del Pueblo begins to ally with local Hispanic gangs. Civil war seems imminent as the government sets up "Quarantine Zones" and internment camps to isolate Hispanics from the general population.

This is an exciting timely tale that makes a strong warning to beware of the fast growing populace turning angry. The case Ramos y Sanchez makes is supported by the potential backlash to the anti-immigration assault and the Judge Sotomeier attacks. Although no exploration into how other races like Asian-Americans and African-Americans, or foreign countries or terrorist groups react to the American racial civil war, fans enjoy Ramos y Sanchez's entertaining but admonitory thriller that avers liberty and libre are the same or else.

Harriet Klausner
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars White knuckled, edge of your seat reading!, September 1, 2009
This review is from: America Libre (Paperback)
When I heard about Mr. Ramos novel, America Libre, my first gut reaction was, "Oh no. Another hum-drum novel." Little did I know that I was about to enter into a reality check of immense proportions. From the onset, Mr. Ramos had me securely hooked by the jawbone. I could not tear myself away from America Libre. Page after page, from start to finish, America Libre is a fascinating story with a delightfully balanced mix of love, struggle, values, history and gripping non-stop action. It opened my eyes to the reality that "this very well could happen in America."

Raul Ramos is the Latino answer to Tom Clancy and "America Libre" is the indisputable proof. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. I look eagerly look forward to the sequel, "El Nuevo Alamo" in 2010.

Truthfully, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this became a major motion picture.
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