Carmen Lezeth Suarez

Canela Carmen Lezeth Suarez

After losing her mother at a young age, and never having known her father, Carmen is left to fend for herself in the unforgiving inner-city neighborhoods of Boston. Alone in a world not yet comfortable with skin color, Carmen's complexion sets her apart from the Spanish kids, the Black kids, and the White kids. She finds friendship in unlikely places-a mute Vietnam vet who becomes her protector, a gang leader who fights to save her life, an inmate who keeps her out of prison, a football player who teaches her to deal with her feelings. With a fierce determination to be accepted and achieve on her own terms, Carmen learns that the best choices are not always the most obvious ones. Canela is a gripping work about the early life of a young girl who survives the tough challenges of growing up on the streets of Boston. It's a story about the power of connecting with each other, the impact we have, and how the people we meet can change who we are, and where we may go.