Introduction & Overview of Among the Volcanoes by Omar S. Castaneda

Among the Volcanoes Introduction

Among the Volcanoes is a coming-of-age story written for young adults and set in a place far removed from the environments familiar to American readers. Castañeda was able to write the novel in part due to funding from a Fulbright Fellowship for research in Central America that allowed him to study more closely the culture and people of his heritage. Published in 1991 in the United States, the novel is intended for readers between the ages of twelve and eighteen. It is set in the author's native Guatemala and tells the story of a teenager, Isabel Pacay, who experiences the same feelings and uncertainties as any adolescent, but in a very difficult place and time. The political climate is hostile and very dangerous, her mother is afflicted with a debilitating illness, she must stop attending school in order to care for her family, and she is having problems with her...
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