Eighteen year old Vicente Zermeno is being pulled deeper and deeper into the gang in East LA—his only future? An early grave. His frustrated parents have tried everything but nothing is working. Finally, in desperation they call a relative in a small town in New Mexico hoping that shipping the boy to the country will bring him to his senses, but his defiant attitude makes any chance of success almost impossible. A glimmer of hope arises only after an offer comes from Ricky Richardson to have the boy come to his ranch. West Texas ranch country with nothing but wide open spaces and miles of grassland in which to find himself may well be Vicente’s last opportunity. A well written story of a young boy’s past and uncertain future—of individuals trying to find the good when there is so much bad—and of a family’s coming to terms with the way things are, no matter how much they want them to be different. “Set aside an afternoon in a comfortable chair because once you start you won’t want to put it down.” Chase B.
