A novel about fate and egotism, hatred and bigotry. Cándido and América are a married couple from Mexico, living unregistered in the suburbs of Los Angeles. One day Cándido is hit by the car of Delaney, a liberal middle-class white man, who reimburses him with a twenty-dollar bill. With Cándido being injured and unable to work, his pregnant wife has to work to provide for them. While Delaney and his wife are getting concerned with the illegals residing in shelters next to their gated community, Cándido is incredibly happy about getting a free turkey at a supermarket. But when Cándido tries to roast the turkey next to their shelter, he causes a forest fire which spreads to the gated community…

As the novel touches upon ethical and political topics an interdisciplinary teaching project with Ethics, Politics, and Social Science is possible. There are plenty of teaching materials available on the internet.

Novel · United States · 1995