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I was born in the land of Miguel Ángel Asturias when my very first rebel action forced my parents to break the curfew imposed by the Carnicero de Zacapa, Zacapa’s butcher. Somehow I was able to germinate despite the multiple military boots that stepped on the fertile soil where I was incubated. Then among multiple tear-gas bombs and walk-offs organized by students’ leaders, I finally finished High School. Fed up with the whole situation and knowing at least how to say “hello” I migrated to the United States. For a while and much like any other migrant I was “steamed to perfection” in the kitchen of a metropolitan area hotel but then with more determination than vocabulary, I decided to attend the American University. After who knows how many cups of coffee and three-hour sleep nights, I obtained in 2001 a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Media and two years later a Master’s degree in Latin America Studies with emphasis in its beautiful literature. It was in these years that I found myself wrapped around this existential anguish result of my upbringings that I discovered that I wanted to tell stories to help me forget for just one moment the solitude that accompany those of us who leave behind their feelings to achieve what they want. And that is basically why now my fingers keep tapping on my keyboard to see if I can be joined by an accomplice that will accompany me to go beyond what history tells us, to find out what really happened; having the certainty that literature is the best way to come together without the fear of having to know each other.
Reviewed by Faridah Nassozi for Readers' Favorite
Sueño en Llamas: From the Ashes His Conscience was Born, by Marvin DeLos Reyes, is the story of three Latino youths trying to find their footing in pursuit of the American dream. Best friends for many years, the three are an illustration of the journey towards achieving the much craved dream. Their histories and backgrounds are each so unique and yet they are very similar in many ways. However, one of them is still haunted by a past that he cannot trace. His dreams are filled with nightmares of a horrific fire and a struggle to escape. He does not know whether these flames that haunt him are just dreams or a part of the past that his mind has chosen to block out. Is it possible that his story could be a part of his people's history? The book tells touching stories of different Latinos in America and how and why they got where they are; mostly not by choice but by necessity.
Sueño en Llamas: From the Ashes His Conscience was Born, by Marvin DeLos Reyes, is a surreal and deeply emotional story. The book narrates the agony of leaving home in pursuit of greener pastures, but only very few get to really make it in the promised land. Many, mostly illegal, stay struggling and living in dire conditions. The book undoubtedly represents the plight of Latino immigrants and highlights why many have had to leave their homes and loved ones behind, and their never-ending struggle for a better day. As each of the stories is narrated, Marvin DeLos Reyes paints a cloud of sad and surreal emotions, almost philosophical. The writing style, which sometimes feels poetic, brings out all the right emotions in this very touching story filled with suffering and endurance, but also with love.
