Mexican American: A Novel Inspired by Real-life Events - Paperback

by Jennifer y. Johnson-Garcia (Author), Brenda Guadalupe Casten (Author)

Samantha Grace Baldwin was doomed from the moment she stepped foot on American soil. After being smuggled into the United States from Mexico as a toddler, Samantha is left to endure a tortuous home life until an anonymous call lands her in foster care, where she falls through America's cracks. As a homeless teenager on the run, Samantha seeks safety from men who get away with heinous crimes against her because she does not exist on paper in the only country she has ever known. Despite her cruel existence, Samantha presses forward in search of happiness and normalcy for herself and her children. However, just as things start looking up, Samantha is diagnosed with cancer and denied lifesaving surgery unless she is able to obtain U.S. citizenship. Mexican American is a moving and thought-provoking account of one young woman's uncommon courage and strength, and the capacity of the human spirit to overcome impossible odds.

Author Biography

Mexican American is a posthumous publication for author Brenda Guadalupe Casten. Brenda was a lively, firecracker of a woman who epitomized strength, happiness, and a stellar sense of humor in spite of enduring extraordinary life challenges. Brenda was proud to be a wife, and mother of three, and consistently credited her husband and children with being her greatest joy in life. Brenda was a talented chef, a lover of fashion, and had a special flair for keeping up with clothing trends. Talents aside, Brenda's biggest aspiration was, in her words, "to finally be able to be a citizen of this beautiful country that I love!" Like Samantha, the protagonist in Mexican American, Brenda was raised as an American throughout her childhood before discovering she was not a legal citizen of the United States. Sadly, after losing her battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at only twenty-four years old, Brenda passed away peacefully in the presence of her husband, Sean Casten, on April 4, 2012.

Mexican American is a debut novel for author Jennifer Y. Johnson-Garcia. Jennifer spent a decade as a recording artist and songwriter in New York City, co-writing a number of songs, including the international hit "So Crazy" by Japanese superstar, Namie Amuro. In 2003, Jennifer traded in her songwriting pen for college, graduating in 2006 from Hudson County Community College, where she served as Co-Editor of The Orator newspaper. Jennifer continued on to New Jersey City University, where she studied English Literature before transferring to Thomas Edison State College to complete a Bachelor's in English, and a Master's in Liberal Studies with concentration in Postcolonialism. Jennifer has been published in the Coloradoan, The Orator, amNewYork, New York's Daily News, and The Gothic Times. Jennifer is a wife, and mother of two children, two dogs, and two guinea pigs. In addition to full-time employement, Jennifer's hobbies include: sewing, running, cycling, and, in her words, "inventing stuff."