On the Wings of a Hummingbird (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
You will take Petra – the teen protagonist of this gripping tale – with you for some time after reading.
How would you handle living in the crushing poverty of Guatemala?
How would you take watching your mom leave you for a better life in America?
"How would you be able to resist the pressures of the Central American gangs that are slowly choking the life out of your village?
With material taken from her 20 years as an immigration attorney, Susan Mills has woven elements of danger, destiny, and identity and created a world you’ll be very glad you visited."--Reviewed by Stephen
Award-winning book that recently earned acclaim from the prestigious Next Generation Indie Book Awards At 15 years old, Petra must grow into the lessons of the Mayan hummingbird as she carves her future out of a childhood scarred by gang violence. Petra's life has been upended by local gang violence in her small Guatemalan village. Her childhood friend Emilio had a hand in their friend Justina's murder, and his father is the local gang leader's right-hand man. Betrayed by Emilio and abandoned by her mother who has fled to the U.S., Petra now fears for her own life. Petra ultimately flees to the U.S., but the pressures follow her there. As she attempts to reconcile with her mother over the abandonment, Petra is alarmed that her mother disregards the danger when he shows up near their home. The novel explores forgiveness and redemption, how to heal oneself and find a future of integrity with friends and community who have participated in atrocities.