Customer Reviews

Juan

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the chance to "preview" this book before mass publication. The sincerity, the depth and the poignancy in this book made me read it through without putting it down. This story is all the more compelling because it is a true account of one boy's life. The wheels of fate that are put into motion by a series of almost surreal coincedences is amazing, and caused Juan to lead a life he could never have imagined growing up in poverty. For anyone who can remember the turmoil of Nicaragua in the late 70's, this is a personal glimpse into the lives of people affected by that war. The heart-wrenching conclusion stayed with me for a long time. Simply written - very powerful.

The book is very engaging and also very hard to put down. Once you start reading it you will find it very hard to stop. If everyone would read the book Juan the world would be a more compassionate place.

This book is an outstanding true story about the lure of the political and economic freedom that so many of us take for granted here in the United States. The love and heartbreak that the writer goes through in trying to get his adopted son legal citizenship in the U.S. is nothing short of amazing. I read this book in two days because I could not put it down. I have also bought a classroom set which I use in my 12th grade U.S. Government class in a lesson that helps many of my students understand what freedom means to people who don't have it and why so many people risk all they have in an attempt to enter the United States everyday. An outstanding book!

This is a gripping tale that becomes all the more poignant with the realization that it is a true story. I had the privilege of knowing Juan because Karl Price happens to be my uncle. One might say that this would color my thinking of the book and therefore this review, but, being one who also likes to write, I think the book is very well-written. Writing it in the first person, with Juan telling his own story, makes it all the more heart-wrenching. I was captured anew by the pain and frustration experienced by those that I knew and loved, even as I learned many details for the first time. I highly recommend the book and hope that many people read it. It is a story that needs to be told.