Names on a Map

A book of great lyrical power,Names on a Mapis a heartbreaking mirror for our own time, about an American family torn apart by an unjust war. In Ben Saenz dexterous, tender hands, this novel is a salve upon the wounds of both then and now.Ruben Martinez, award winning author ofCrossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant TrailA haunting novel from award-winning author and poet Benjamin Alire Saenz, about a family of Hispanic immigrants handling the psychological effects of a war they dont feel is theirs to fight In 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, the Espejo family of El Paso, Texas, is just like thousands of other American families coping with a war they feel does not concern them. When Gustavo, the eldest sonthe bad boy of the familyis told to report for basic training, his ideology and sense of patriotism is put to the test. Opting to flee to Mexico and avoid the draft, Gustavo soon realizes he is no more culturally connected to his ancestral homeland than he is to the America that called him to war. Poignant and insightful, Names on a Map explores with complex detail the harsh nature of immigrant life in the United Statesand the emotional tug-of-war experienced by all those with allegiance to more than one country.