Hope in Times of Darkness

A Salvadoran American Experience

By (author) Randy Jurado Ertll

Publication date:

30 September 2009

Length of book:

94 pages

Publisher

Hamilton Books

ISBN-13: 9780761846666

Hope in Times of Darkness sends a message that we can be agents of positive change, and that minority youth in impoverished areas can succeed in life and become productive citizens of our society. The author, a Salvadoran American, lived in El Salvador as a child but grew up in South Central Los Angeles during the late 1970s and 1980s. He also lived in Rochester, Minnesota; Washington, D.C.; and Alexandria, Virginia. In each of these cities, he observed the dynamics and challenges of the Salvadoran community. As he has both lived and transcended these struggles himself, he is able to depict a realistic and compassionate picture of the Salvadoran American/Latino experience throughout this book. The author focuses on social justice issues and contends that government, community-based organizations, elected officials, and community leaders can help create hope and opportunities for our youth, and thereby help improve our society.

Watch author Randy Ertll discuss his book on GOOD DAY LA!

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Acknowledgements
Chapter 3 Introduction: Growing Up in South Central Los Angeles
Chapter 4 1. The Story of a Salvadoran American
Chapter 5 2. The Dark Side
Chapter 6 3. Can African Americans and Latinos Get Along?
Chapter 7 4. A Better Chance Program
Chapter 8 5. Occidental College Years
Chapter 9 6. 1992 L.A. Riots - The Fire Still Burns in Los Angeles
Chapter 10 7. The Environmental Movement
Chapter 11 8. SAL-PAC - New Generation of Salvadoran Americans/Overcoming Negative Stereotypes
Chapter 12 9. Searching for My Roots
Chapter 13 10. From South L.A. to Capitol Hill
Chapter 14 11. The Sann Year and How I Ended Up Working for the Pasadena Unified School District
Chapter 15 12. How to Win an Election in the Southeast Lost Angeles City of Maywood
Chapter 16 13. El Centro de Accion Social
Chapter 17 14. American Me, The Sopranos, and the National Geographic Channel
Chapter 18 15. Perseverance
Chapter 19 16. Lessons Learned, the Future, and Conclusion: Wake Up Everybody

An inspiration…[and] testament to the power of an individual to overcome obstacles and make a difference.