[close] Alfredo Santayana, the protagonist of John Welter's third novel, is a Guatemalan emigre who thumbs his way to Texas in search of the good life North of the border. To attain this American dream, Santayana has a number of hurdles to clear, from learning English (which he does through the magic of television) to getting a green card. All of this is meant to be funny and to make a point, and while Welter succeeds in many ways, his book is diminished by the hackneyed characters and the slightly cliched storyline. Still, many of the set-ups are funny and no one could claim John Welter doesn't have a gift for making you laugh out loud. This satire of immigration in America produces plenty of chuckles. [close]