{"product_id":"laura-from-the-valley-9781955062893","title":"Laura from the Valley","description":"\"You're going to go live with your uncle Hector...\" The words that change the trajectory of 11-year-old Laura's world. Her days being passed in the hot desert air, seeking money to pay her uncle rent; her nights wandering dark alleyways and deserted streets while Hector entertains women with drug-filled parties. A book that spans two years of a young girl's life, Laura comes into her own as a woman, seeking refuge with Luz, a prostitute who works with her uncle; Bea, Luz's aunt, who provides work for her in the form of doing her shopping and helping clean her house; and Leroy, the owner of a diner across the street from Hector's apartment who gives Laura free meals for helping out. A tale of survival, \u003ci\u003eLaura from the Valley\u003c\/i\u003e tells of books, blood, the earth, and the power of a young woman in the most trying of circumstances, making for a story that's difficult, real, but ultimately triumphant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMark Gregory Lopez\u003c\/b\u003e was born and raised in a city by the sea. He matriculated at the University of Texas in Austin, earning a BA in English and a Bachelors in Journalism. He also earned his MFA in Poetry from Columbia University in the city of New York. His journalistic writings have appeared in \u003ci\u003eUT Law Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCHAOS Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Weekly Alibi\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMusic OMH\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCorpus Christi Caller-Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Bend Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. His poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in \u003ci\u003eThe Maynard\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBorderlands\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJuked\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFeels So Good\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEunoia Review\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBacopa Literary Review\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Rize","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50456162271506,"sku":"9781955062893","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_68c246bb-f1c0-493b-a9f2-5b5639fed796.jpg?v=1729900397","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/laura-from-the-valley-9781955062893","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}