ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Jan. 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- When today's chaotic world seems like it's spinning out of control, many people pine for the "simple" life of earlier times, but bloody conflict and inner spiritual turmoil have made their mark in every age. In Sangre del Monte (now available through AuthorHouse), Roberto Andres Lucero explores one man's life in early America and the harsh lessons he learned.
"Sangre del Monte means blood of the mountain or the forest," writes Lucero. "The reader should expect blood and violence from such a title, but they play only a part in the story." The book involves intense action, but it mainly delves into the mind of Jose Maria. A proud and honorable man, he carves out a life for his family in the rugged, mountainous terrain of New Mexico 20 years before the Civil War.
Jose, a farmer who was raised in the Catholic faith, had always likened his life to a prayer; every action he performed was a tribute to God. Terrible incidents occur, however, and rip his spiritual security away to leave him with only doubt and turmoil. Violence erupts leaving an Apache Indian dead and Jose's son badly beaten. When his son loses his memory, Jose loses his bearings on life. He sets out on a search for understanding that only a confrontation with the attacker could accomplish.
"Sangre del Monte is a fable of faith and nature and of a man's obligation to community," writes Lucero. "It includes homages to the innate goodness of simple people who rely on the earth for their existence."
Within these pages, action, religious themes, philosophy and cultural diversity combine in a beautifully told story that transports readers back in time.
Lucero was born in an isolated mountain valley in northern New Mexico in 1937. In the 1960s he moved to Denver, where he worked for a publishing company and as a reporter for El Grito Del Norte, a liberal newspaper. He earned a liberal arts degree from the University of Colorado. Lucero has been writing short stories, essays and poetry since high school, but Sangre del Monte is his first book. He is currently working on a collection of short stories.
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