by Floyd Martinez

Flavio is a young Mexican-American boy growing up in the small, rural town of Capulin, New Mexico. The atomic bomb is rumored to have been built just over the next mountain range. The coming of electricity, the U.S. Forest Service and a large sawmill, all brought by gringos just after World War II, will forever change the culture of Capulin. Flavio is torn between the seductiveness of progress and his loyalty to village traditions as steadfastly preserved by his grandfather, E1 Grande. Flavio has a special relationship with E1 Grande. The old man's powerful persona rules, buttressed by his hex-barrel 30 -- 30 Winchester, the symbol of order and reason in the village. Alongside his grandfather, Flavio is on his way to manhood through hard ranchwork: fencemending, branding, horse breaking, hunting and mastery of the forest. But the strong yet gentle guiding hand of El Grande must compete with the lure of all that is new and exciting. It will be years before Flavio fully recognizes the value of the old man's wisdom.