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Class H #1
America Libre
After years of anti-immigrant backlash, anger seethes in the nation's teeming barrios. 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, 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 finds himself questioning his loyalty to his wife -- and to his country.
373 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2009
About the author
Raul Ramos y Sanchez
6 books35 followers“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.
THE SKINNY YEARS is my fourth novel. Called “gritty and witty” by Foreword Reviews, it’s a coming-of-age story set in Miami during the stormy 1960s. The novel follows the quirky travails of young Victor “Skinny” Delgado and his Cuban-exile family over their first ten years in the United States. Some readers have asked if the novel is autobiographical. The short answer is “no.” But my childhood memories of growing up in Miami are the inspiration for the story. In reality, my first experiences in the U.S. began in New York City.
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.
THE SKINNY YEARS is my fourth novel. Called “gritty and witty” by Foreword Reviews, it’s a coming-of-age story set in Miami during the stormy 1960s. The novel follows the quirky travails of young Victor “Skinny” Delgado and his Cuban-exile family over their first ten years in the United States. Some readers have asked if the novel is autobiographical. The short answer is “no.” But my childhood memories of growing up in Miami are the inspiration for the story. In reality, my first experiences in the U.S. began in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 18, 2017
So, I'm not sure who recommended this but it has been on my to-read list for a while. It is a decent page turning futuristic suggestion of what could happen given racial tensions in the US and the growing Hispanic population. Unfortunately, even though it was published in 2007, it reads like it was written in 1998. No one has smartphones, they all have vu-phones (similar, but no internet access, much more like the video phones that we all expected to come soon in the 80s) and the riots are reminiscent of the Rodney King stuff (as an aside Gattis' All Involved does a MUCH better job of covering the 1992 riots).
Sanchez does a good job creating a believable backstory and given the current Trump bullshit (let's build a WALL), it is not much of a stretch to internment camps. I especially liked the Catch-22esque note that the planners for the Relocation Communities provided seeds and equipment for gardening to produce their own food, but the local security confiscated all the tools for fear they would be weaponized. I didn't like that Jo, Ramon and Mano are pretty much the leaders of EVERYTHING, even at the UN.
Sanchez does a good job creating a believable backstory and given the current Trump bullshit (let's build a WALL), it is not much of a stretch to internment camps. I especially liked the Catch-22esque note that the planners for the Relocation Communities provided seeds and equipment for gardening to produce their own food, but the local security confiscated all the tools for fear they would be weaponized. I didn't like that Jo, Ramon and Mano are pretty much the leaders of EVERYTHING, even at the UN.
April 30, 2010
Frankly, when I first picked up America Libre I didn’t know what to expect. I suspected it might be very militant and inflammatory in its perspective; a call for violent revolution. But actually, quite the opposite is true. America Libre is a passionate cry for tolerance, understanding and moderation. Raul Ramos y Sanchez’s saga is a plea for justice and sanity…and perhaps most of all, a sobering cautionary tale. It urges us all to remember the genuine principles upon which our great nation was founded.
The book is also one helluva read. The characterization is rich and complex, and the story takes the reader on a pulse-quickening and frightening journey into an American heart of darkness that becomes disturbingly more plausible with each passing day. The lead character, Manolo Suarez, is a man who has served his country honorably only to find a world gone mad in which there are virtually no options left for him and his family. The gut-wrenching choices he is forced to make serve as the crux of the novel.
America Libre is a landmark, thought-provoking work. The novel raises a red flag. And it reminds us that if we do not remain vigilant, that flag could someday turn out to be red, white and blue. I urge you to read it. And think about it.
The book is also one helluva read. The characterization is rich and complex, and the story takes the reader on a pulse-quickening and frightening journey into an American heart of darkness that becomes disturbingly more plausible with each passing day. The lead character, Manolo Suarez, is a man who has served his country honorably only to find a world gone mad in which there are virtually no options left for him and his family. The gut-wrenching choices he is forced to make serve as the crux of the novel.
America Libre is a landmark, thought-provoking work. The novel raises a red flag. And it reminds us that if we do not remain vigilant, that flag could someday turn out to be red, white and blue. I urge you to read it. And think about it.
May 3, 2011
Reviews, reviews, reviews...oh, how I loathe you. But ironically, love to read them that are written by others. So, where do I start with this book? I never really know what makes me get through a mediocre book and then get to the end not really feeling much of anything. I guess, like most of our lives, that's what mediocrity is, right? Not feeling much of anything. That wasn't nice to say, but this book left me feeling just that. Nothing really.
It was a decent enough story to bring me to the end and the premise of the story was interesting enough for me, too. But the characters were a little one-dimensional, like most real people I know. And why do I want to read about people who are like the other mediocre people in my life? Exactly.
I don't.
Anyhow, living in this country, I really get tired of the rhetoric, especially from the Republican side—not to say that the Democrats don't do it—that is crammed down our throats in order to push agendas through that really don't serve the mediocre—I mean, the common man any real healthy purpose in the grand scheme of things. There is WAY too much bigotry rhetoric for my taste in the year 2011. For Christ's sakes, how long have we been roaming this planet and we still act like we were born yesterday.
What does this little rant have to do with this book? Well this books brings to the surface of what oppression, bigotry and ignorance could bring to a society. Hence, the civil war, the race riots of the 1960's, the current situation in the middle east, and so on and so on. Reading this book, I thought, I can see something like this happening here very soon. Not exactly how this book was played out, but definitely similar. Sometimes, I wish we would wake up and demand change that is better for us. Stop accepting the scraps that are given to us. I also wish we would get off our asses, turn off the tv(especially Fox news) and also take a little responsibility too. Read a book(not talking about anybody in the goodreads community, btw) every once in a while. But something needs to be bigger than our apathy for us to do so. And the Tea Party, as much as I admire them TRYING to wake up and demand change(I think they're more pissed we have a black man as a president and his name isn't George or Bob than anything else), I think we need something much more vibrant, energetic, intelligent and more...what's the word I should use here? Hmmm, classy, maybe.
Regardless, this book was a little too preachy for me and a little flat in the end. Again, decent premise and engaging enough for me to finish it. But never did it make my heart pulse faster nor did I have an overwhelming desire to get back to it. Yes, I finished it in a few days, but that's just because I had many other books begging me to read them next.
So...on to the next one.
It was a decent enough story to bring me to the end and the premise of the story was interesting enough for me, too. But the characters were a little one-dimensional, like most real people I know. And why do I want to read about people who are like the other mediocre people in my life? Exactly.
I don't.
Anyhow, living in this country, I really get tired of the rhetoric, especially from the Republican side—not to say that the Democrats don't do it—that is crammed down our throats in order to push agendas through that really don't serve the mediocre—I mean, the common man any real healthy purpose in the grand scheme of things. There is WAY too much bigotry rhetoric for my taste in the year 2011. For Christ's sakes, how long have we been roaming this planet and we still act like we were born yesterday.
What does this little rant have to do with this book? Well this books brings to the surface of what oppression, bigotry and ignorance could bring to a society. Hence, the civil war, the race riots of the 1960's, the current situation in the middle east, and so on and so on. Reading this book, I thought, I can see something like this happening here very soon. Not exactly how this book was played out, but definitely similar. Sometimes, I wish we would wake up and demand change that is better for us. Stop accepting the scraps that are given to us. I also wish we would get off our asses, turn off the tv(especially Fox news) and also take a little responsibility too. Read a book(not talking about anybody in the goodreads community, btw) every once in a while. But something needs to be bigger than our apathy for us to do so. And the Tea Party, as much as I admire them TRYING to wake up and demand change(I think they're more pissed we have a black man as a president and his name isn't George or Bob than anything else), I think we need something much more vibrant, energetic, intelligent and more...what's the word I should use here? Hmmm, classy, maybe.
Regardless, this book was a little too preachy for me and a little flat in the end. Again, decent premise and engaging enough for me to finish it. But never did it make my heart pulse faster nor did I have an overwhelming desire to get back to it. Yes, I finished it in a few days, but that's just because I had many other books begging me to read them next.
So...on to the next one.
August 4, 2010
"America Libre" by Raul Ramos Y Sanchez is a page turner. From the moment I picked it up, I didn't want to do anything but finish it. This is the story about Hispanics in America. Like all people the Hispanics yearn for the right to live ordinary lives like other citizens. To be treated differently erases all their human dignity.
If people lose their self respect because of the insanity of other people, there has to come a breaking point. In the novel this is the time when the more able Hispanics choose to fight rather than to continue to lead such horrific lives. Mano and Rosa are one such couple. They have three children: Julio, Pedro and their little girl. Sadly, Mano can't find work during hard economic times. This unfortunate incident leads to the unraveling of the family's lives.
I was totally unable to remove myself from caring about this one family's turmoil. Their catastrophes seemed to reach out like the tentacles of an octapus touching the whole Hispanic community until danger had reached every corner of the barrios of California.
Each chapter is listed as days and months. Each chapter begins with a quotation about repression, revolution, etc. It is as if Raul Ramos Y Sanchez thought of the need for centering while reading the pages of his book. After all inside the book the whole world is wildly out of control. The author forced me to look at the world through the eyes of a Hispanic.Somehow, this intimacy or empathy is not gained by just looking at nightly news or a two hour documentary. Reading the book forced me to sit down and linger over the words of the United States government and the words of the Hispanic. I could hear in my ears and read over and over again the stereotypes faced by this community.
Yes, the age old term "stereotypes" plays a role in this book. I questioned myself. How much of what I believe is truly true rather than what I expect to see or hear because of gleanings from the media or friends? The book made me search my heart. After finishing the book, I can make a statement. I see more clearly now.
Thank goodness Raul Ramos Y Sanchez won The International Latino Book Award for Best Novel. He and the words from his pen will help America truly live by and believe in the words on The Statue of Liberty.
March 10, 2010
I don't usually write reviews, I read them. However, I don't necessarily believe that America Libre was such a good read, or even a tolerable one for that matter. The book was not very well written, as the characters were very one-dimensional and predictable. The protagonist who is a handsome war hero who has noble intentions made without a single flaw making him someone difficult to relate too. He is too good and the antagonists too evil, having no room for gray areas. The "revolution" is founded on the belief that Latinos everywhere are treated unjustly and that the "man" is happy in keeping them down due to their unwavering racism. I find this a little too hard to believe. While it is true ghat there is mistreatment of people on general, not just Latinos, in the United States, the series of events that occur from the beginning of the book to the end are just too unbelievable. While I do appreciate a level of suspended belief when reading a good novel, I expect the author to at least meet me halfway by providing a plausible cause and effect in a story of his own imagining. This book comes off as too preachy and far too pushy in it's attempt to paint white Americans as ignorant bigots and Latinos as the quiet underclass who can stand no more. This novel comes off as a book infused with too much politics and not enough story, or rather the equivilent of a hispanic version of the ultra-conservative The Last Centurion by John Ringo, another novel that believed it's message was far more important than it's characters. Writing as a Mexican-American who learned Spanish before speaking English, I wouldn't really recommend this book
December 7, 2010
This is Raul Ramos y Sanchez' debut novel and it is packed with suspense!
As the immigration crisis reaches the boiling point, once-peaceful Latino protests explode into rioting. Cities across the nation are in flames. Anglo vigilantes bent on revenge launch drive-by shootings in the barrios, wantonly killing young and old. Exploiting the turmoil, a congressional demagogue succeeds in passing legislation that transforms the nation’s teeming inner-city barrios into walled-off Quarantine Zones. In this chaotic landscape, Manolo Suarez is struggling to provide for his family. Under the spell of a beautiful Latina radical, the former U.S. Army Ranger eventually finds himself questioning his loyalty to his wife—and his country.
Mr Sanchez' blockbuster won first place in the new Books Into Movies Awards, which seek to identify Hispanic-themed films that could become motion pictures.
"The Books Into Movies Awards were sponsored by Latino Literacy Now, an organization founded by renowed Latino author Edward James Olmos. The award ceremony took place on October 9, 2010 at the Los Angeles campus of California State University.
“I really liked this book and definitely think it should be a movie with many interesting characters and conflicts,” said Olmos. “It is very thought provoking and in many ways educational. The author’s devotion to his readers and his work exceeds any I’ve seen.”
Put this one on your “must read” list!
I am also reading Mr. Sanchez' soon to be released novel, "House Divided." I will keep you posted.
As the immigration crisis reaches the boiling point, once-peaceful Latino protests explode into rioting. Cities across the nation are in flames. Anglo vigilantes bent on revenge launch drive-by shootings in the barrios, wantonly killing young and old. Exploiting the turmoil, a congressional demagogue succeeds in passing legislation that transforms the nation’s teeming inner-city barrios into walled-off Quarantine Zones. In this chaotic landscape, Manolo Suarez is struggling to provide for his family. Under the spell of a beautiful Latina radical, the former U.S. Army Ranger eventually finds himself questioning his loyalty to his wife—and his country.
Mr Sanchez' blockbuster won first place in the new Books Into Movies Awards, which seek to identify Hispanic-themed films that could become motion pictures.
"The Books Into Movies Awards were sponsored by Latino Literacy Now, an organization founded by renowed Latino author Edward James Olmos. The award ceremony took place on October 9, 2010 at the Los Angeles campus of California State University.
“I really liked this book and definitely think it should be a movie with many interesting characters and conflicts,” said Olmos. “It is very thought provoking and in many ways educational. The author’s devotion to his readers and his work exceeds any I’ve seen.”
Put this one on your “must read” list!
I am also reading Mr. Sanchez' soon to be released novel, "House Divided." I will keep you posted.
November 6, 2011
Scarily realistic scenarios of a life in the next decade for people of Hispanic descent. I really liked the warfare descriptions, the reminder that not all Hispanic people are the same generic stereotype. I am dismayed a bit by the representations of women in this book. They are all two dimensional, and I am not a fan of that. I did like the ideas this book brought forward, but I think that if it had focused on the political and military side instead of the two-dimensional people throughout, it would have been a stronger novel. That said, I couldn't stop turning pages because I had to know how it ended.
December 30, 2009
Sad thing is..., I believe this is a possible outcome of the current immigration issue and the inability of US leaders to discuss it effectively and positively, as well as the society's fear for the unfamiliar and hesitation to explore the unknown.
December 9, 2012
Very suspenseful. Makes you wonder if something like this could really happen.
December 1, 2010
I really liked this book once I got past some of his cheesy physical descriptions of people. It was an interesting view on the future and oddly plausible. His foreboding is intense.
February 22, 2016
A page turner you will not be able to put it down I highly recommend this series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews