The Five Destinies of Carlos Moreno - by George Weinstein (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

During the Great Depression, the U.S. government illegally deported more than a million Mexican-American citizens to make room on the welfare rolls and alleviate unemployment for white Americans. Carlos Moreno is a young man who has known only hardship and poverty, chasing rumors of work across Texas during the 1920s. Pursued by a renegade Texas Ranger who thinks he holds the key to a secret, Carlos takes refuge in "Little Mexico," Houston's colorful, boisterous barrio. He picks the worst possible time to fall in love.

As the U.S. launches its repatriation campaign, the ranger joins forces with Immigration agents to step up his personal manhunt. Now Carlos and his wife will have to rely on their courage and ingenuity to avoid a dragnet that will ensnare an entire population.

Review Quotes

"Tense, tender, and ultimately hopeful, Weinstein offers a vivid picture of the Great Depression from an entirely fresh angle, wrapped in a beautiful love story that will touch your heart."

-JOSHILYN JACKSON, New York Times bestselling novelist

"Told through memorable characters splendidly created by a skilled and gifted writer, this achieves what important literature ought to achieve-a sense of awe from the discovery of a grand experience. Few books shadow me after the reading; this one does."

-TERRY KAY, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

"A love story wrapped inside a classic game of cat-and-mouse, this book is both a pleasurable and a highly relevant read."

-SUSAN REBECCA WHITE, author of A Place at the Table and Bound South

"Echoing themes from Les Misérables and The Grapes of Wrath... Carlos Moreno finds his destiny in a tale that will keep readers up late at night."

-ABRAHAM HOFFMAN, author of Unwanted Mexican Americans in the Great Depression: Repatriation Pressures, 1929-1939