<p>Nicaragua Way tells the story of Lorna Almendros, a San Francisco Nicaraguan-American poet, passionately engaged in supporting revolutionary struggles in Latin America and the Sandinista solidarity movement in the U.S. Lorna is a mature single woman living in San Francisco, California, raising a teen daughter, searching for her Latino roots among a cast of fascinating characters in culturally diverse San Francisco’s Mission District. Lorna’s memories of her Nicaraguan grandfather sweep her and her daughter, Rini, into the inspiring revolutionary fever of the era’s Nicaraguan Sandinista revolution. San Francisco’s barrio comes alive as the brutal Somoza dynasty falls opening a new era of social justice for all of Central America. This feminist tale is a coming of age story of an older woman. Set in San Francisco and Managua between 1975 and 1989, the novel portrays a rich cast of characters, including Rini, Lorna’s daughter; Eddie, an organizer and revolutionary guerrilla fighter; Helen, her best friend, and a city politician; and Maria Rosa, a Nicaraguan-exiled immigrant. They move between San Francisco’s activist-arts community and Nicaragua, building support for change in the shadow of the U.S. undeclared wars in Central America.Nicaragua Way is a story of a woman in the resistance movement from before the 1979 revolutionary triumph to the end of the revolutionary project with the 1989 election defeat. Along the way the protagonist raises a daughter, falls in love, fears menopause and empty nest blues, faces deaths, intrigue, passions, and never stops writing poems. It is Lorna’s life as an activist and writer, (or “artivist” as some call it) that propelled her forward, As it has been for me. The writing of Nicaragua Way was a 23-year experience spanning the years from 1993 to 2016, fictionalizing the road I myself traveled in the cause of peace, social justice, international friendship, and solidarity. My two decades as the writer began as my protagonist’s story ended. The dividing line was the 1990 electoral defeat of the Sandinista government, an event with the same kind of impact as Trump victory in the USA. I began writing the novel to find a way out of my personal despair due to that election loss. The creation of Lorna’s journey was my own path to rekindling hope and inspiration. With every rewrite, Lorna became stronger, standing up for herself as she faced ever-increasing political and personal challenges in the Nicaragua solidarity movement within the US. My portrayal of Lorna and Rini’s ever deepening involvement in social issues facing Nicaragua during the ten years of transformation is shadowed by the electoral defeat of the revolutionaries in 1990. When the Nicaragua revolution collapsed under the weight of the Contra War led by Ronald Reagan and the Iran-Contra gang, my spirits spiraled downward. I had to understand what happened on a personal level. For me, the political is personal. I had to re-examine my own intimate journey through Nicaragua’s revolutionary years and the international Central American solidarity movement. My inspiration slowly returned as I wrote the story of Lorna’s life in the pages of my novel. I overcame writer’s block, disillusionment, and all the rest of the negativity that keeps us from being our best most creative and resilient selves. I learned that writing is a healing and creative journey.Nicaragua Way can lead readers back to hope and inspiration. It opens a path for readers to find their own strength and creativity to help foster change.</p>

Nicaragua Way: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Serrano, Ms Nina

Literary

Estuary Press

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Books by Serrano, Ms Nina

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Serrano, Ms Nina. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Nicaragua Way: A Novel