Can grim memories of childhood yield to expansive hopes for the future? Can the pain of a physical handicap lead to the release of self-acceptance? From the fragile joy of a Queens birthday girl to the staggering success of a Colombian drug lord, from the leverage wielded by a red-faced sister to the retaliation sought by an abused daughter, from dreams of a future shared with a loved one to the reality of soldiering on alone, these narratives deal with the extremes of human experience. Beginning as a fictionalized account of the author's early years in New York and the Midwest, this collection of short stories goes on to give voice to her love for the global Hispanic community.