In Search of the Luminous Heart: From the Mountains of Naranjito, Puerto Rico to the Mountains of Crestone, Colorado

Reviews/Quotes

|| REVIEWS: 1-Sylvia M. Montero, Human Resources professional & author of Make It Your Business, 2011 An amazing story, epic in scope, of a family’s struggles through poverty and dispersion from Puerto Rico to the US mainland. It is the story of a people caught in the impersonal forces of history, economics, culture and heredity. Victoria ‘reclaims’ four generations of her family offering their individual stories through the insightful lenses of a sociologist, the softening lenses of a poet and the compassionate lenses of a daughter and sister. Laugh and cry with her as she courageously faces her most private emotions. This story will resonate with anyone who has ever faced what may seem insurmountable obstacles. 2-Oct 26, 2015: Helen Dumont | Midwest Book Review Reviewer: An absolutely absorbing read from first page to last, "In Search of the Luminous Heart: From the Mountains of Naranjito, Puerto Rico to the Mountains of Crestone, Colorado" is an exceptionally well written memoir that is as informative and thoughtful as it is inherently fascinating and ultimately inspiring. Very highly recommended for community and academic library biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "In Search of the Luminous Heart" is also available in a Kindle edition. 3-ByMs. Skeeter Readeron February 22, 2016 Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase, Amazon Puerto Rican-born Psychotherapist's Loving Memoir of her Family's Rise from Poverty is a Surprisingly Multi-layered Gem I loved this book and recommend it with all my heart for all the reasons cited by previous reviewers. The "luminosity" elements of the book--love, faith, family, courage are a just a few--have been cited eloquently and thoroughly by previous reviewers. But there are so many other interesting aspects of this admirable first-time effort that I am going to use "my space" to list some of other virtues of this very good--if not perfect--book. A) No prior review I think has cited the book's right to be classified as a family saga--a rags-to-riches story that spans five generations and more than a century, from the hardscrabble lives of the author's grandparents, unlanded and impoverished farm-workers in a primitive mountain community of Puerto Rico at the beginning of the 20th century, to the contemporary, farflung and privileged worlds that are all that her own and her siblings' grandchildren have known. B) One reviewer already praised the author for her careful attention to the effects of local and national historical events on Puerto Rico and the members of her family. As I read, I was riveted by what I was learning about 20th Century Puerto Rican--even as I was often embarrassed to realize how little I knew about this US territory. C-On yet another level, "...The Luminous Heart" is an insightful and perceptive ethnographic study of how a family, a community and a society adapts to dramatic changes in its social, economic and political fabric. D) As has been happens in many cultures, the academic, professional and personal achievements of the author and her seven siblings far exceeded those of their parents. As I read, I found myself pondering the age-old debate about the respective roles played by nature and nurture in shaping the people we become. Did the author's parents have innate, genetic talents that never emerged due to the constrictions of the social order into which they were born and the severely limited opportunities they had to flourish? If so, it is reasonable to assume that their children inherited the genes and found their way to social environments where these traits were allowed to emerge? On the other hand, the achievements of the second generation could have had nothing to do with their parents but were the shaped by their exposure to greater social freedom and social opportunities that far-exceeded those that their parents encountered. In the end, Ms. Rivera McKinley has created a literary gem with elements to pique the interest of multitudes of readers. My hope is that word of mouth will get it into the hands of enough people to build a following. For my part, I purchased 3 copies of the book and gave them to three people I work with who are of Puerto Rican descent. The personalities of the three are very different and while each has acknowledged a strong feeling of connection to Puerto Rico, the focus of interest is very different in each. I have asked each to post a comment on Amazon, or at least tell me their reactions to "... The Luminous Heart" so I can post their reactions in the present forum. I recommend that other fans of the book likewise send copies of the book for more reactions . . . and that Amazon replenish its dwindling stock. 4-Maria Diaz Montgomery, Retired Principal, Takoma Park Middle School, Montgomery County, Maryland “ I could not help but identify with the story, as it touched my own, and brought out tears and deep seated grief which I had suppressed. As such, it provides an opening for readers to have a conversation with their own families. We can discuss its content with our kin to help us remember our own history. Young men, especially, can develop greater awareness of their treatment of women.”