In thirteen stories full of wit and energy, Gary Soto illuminates the ordinary lives of young people. Meet Angel, who would rather fork over twenty bucks than have photos of his naked body plastered all over school; Philip, who discovers he has a "mechanical mind," whatever that means; Estela, known as Stinger, who rules Jos 's heart and the racquetball court; and many other kids, all of them with problems as big as only a preteen can make them. Funny, touching, and wholly original, Local News is Gary Soto in top form.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

Voices from the Global Margin looks behind the generalities of debates about globalization to explore the personal impact of global forces on the Peruvian poor. In this highly readable ethnography, William Mitchell draws on the narratives of people he has known for forty years, offering deep insight into how they have coped with extreme poverty and rapid population growth—and their creation of new lives and customs in the process. In their own passionate words they describe their struggles to make ends meet, many abandoning rural homes for marginal wages in Lima and the United States. They chronicle their terror during the Shining Path guerrilla war and the government's violent military response. Mitchell's long experience as an anthropologist living with the people he writes about allows him to put the stories in context, helping readers understand the impact of the larger world on individuals and their communities. His book reckons up the human costs of the global economy, urging us to work toward a more just world.

Loreta is a young woman with Swiss and Spanish blood in her veins. Still as a child after the divorce of her parents she went with her mother back to live in Switzerland, where she grew up, reached adolescence and frst youth. After a disappointment in love, she decided to travel to Spain to fnd her father, whom she has not seen for a long time, and with whom she has maintained only sporadic contact through the years. She packed her belongings into her small car and headed for Almeria. Upon arrival, she could not fnd her father immediately, and on a hot summer afternoon she got lost between the greenhouses of St. Augustin. Momey, who had been studying informatics in Algeria, was forced to quit his studies due to the severe illness of his mother. He thus had to look for a job to help his family, because their economic reserves were all needed for medical treatments and hospital bills. As there were no suitable jobs available, his father heeded the advice of his own brother - who later turned out to be a human tracker - and decided to send Momey along with Momey’s younger brother to Spain, to fnd success there. For this they have to cross the Mediterranean in a dilapidated boat together with 38 other men coming from Africa. A tragic accident occurs during this crossing. On that afternoon, when Loreta is lost between the greenhouses, Momey who by then heads a group of workers there, fnds her unconscious and helps her to fnd the way out of the labyrinth of plantations under plastic. Loreta fnds her father just when he is handcuffed, arrested on suspicion of murder. Father and daughter exchange some words under tears. She stays with her paternal grandmother, and despite the terrible events, begins to think that she wants to start a new life there in Andalusia. She plans to open her own business. She believes in her father ́s innocence, and provides him with support so that he can overcome the difcult moments he is going through. Te father, who for many years led a disorderly and aimless life, fnds in jail a cellmate, who motivates and initiates him in flamenco singing, as an infallible method to leave behind his bad life and depressions. Te two new friends work voluntarily in jail, and start a passionate singing project together. Loreta and Momey, who come from different cultures, begin to cultivate a beautiful friendship. Tere are obstacles that will momentarily prevent that friendship from ending in love. But as it cannot be otherwise in Andalusia, all difculties are solved, and love triumphs in the end.

Don Sebastian Valdivia and his secretary, Juan Carreño, attend a horse auction at the Garrison Ranch, where an outlaw stallion, Twilight, is held back until last. The only man who can ride this magnificent beast is Charles Dupont, known as the Crisco Kid, who has bonded with the horse since he was a colt. Because gunman Bud Carew despises the Kid, he desperately wants to possess Twilight. Those attending the auction know that no matter who wins, a gunfight is sure to follow. Just as it appears that Carew has won, Valdivia places his bid for $800. He is not bidding for a horse, but for a man. In a calculated move, Valdivia plays the Kid against Carew, and the Kid proves to be the better man. Valdivia offers Twilight to the Kid with two options—keep Twilight and remain in the Southwest, or accept employment with the don and accompany him back to his grand rancho in the Argentine, where Valdivia has a score to settle with the outlaw El Tigre. Even without the gift of Twilight, the Kid would be willing to make the effort. With Twilight, he does not imagine there is any way he could possibly fail.