LitPick Review
Ghost of the Rio Grande by Don Allen Holbrook and Dr. Gilberto Garcia follows the story of Fabriciano Garcia in the mid-1910s. He and his family live on a farm in southern Texas, and he strives to support them as best he can. He descends from a Mexican-Indian bloodline. In the town where he lives, he finds himself having to defend himself and his neighbors with force and firepower. There is much tension as Fabriciano runs from the law that prosecutes him for killing a Texas Ranger about to kill his friend. He travels along the countryside under the beating sun, afraid of those who pursue him. He finds friends along the way who help him survive and unintentionally becomes involved in a German plot to involve Mexico and the U.S. in a war against each other, thereby preventing the U.S. from joining in the current world war in Europe against Germany. Fabriciano does all he can to foil Germany's plan. Will he make it? Will he find the life he deserves and strives for? Will he see his family again? Will he find home? Find out by reading this book!
Opinion:
While I read this book, I felt like I was able to understand and really feel what the main character was going through. The character exhibited strengths such as perseverance and kindness. He continually strives to protect himself, his neighbors, and his country from harm. However, I did notice grammar and punctuation mistakes, along with some awkward sentence formats. Yet, I was able to continue to enjoy the descriptive story with these issues as I could visualize the towns he walked through, the battles he fought, the standoffs he participated in, and the people he met. The pace of the story was quick but slow enough to understand what went on. I was really able to relate to the fear and humility that was depicted in the main character. It was interesting to learn about the tension felt between different races and to experience this from a different cultural perspective was really eye opening. It makes me want to change our world so that everyone can feel respected, loved, and like they belong here. I learned a lot about this time is U.S. and Mexican history, and how different cultures were affected by historical events. Learn all of this and more in reading Ghost of the Rio Grande!
