by Robert Sanabria

Through the eyes of one of its sons, Stewing in the Melting will touch the hearts of all who have lived between two cultures and who have never felt completely accepted by the mainstream American culture. It is the true story of a Mexican-American family struggling to survive in pre- and post-World War II America. Born in El Paso, Texas to Mexican immigrants in 1931, Robert Sanabria was four years old when his mother took her four children and fled from an abusive husband to Los Angeles. There, unable to care for her children, she was forced to place them in an orphanage, founded by the Methodist Church in Sierra Madre, California. In “The Home” Robert learned that his heritage as a Mexican was not welcome and he was required to abandon his language, his religion, and his culture to become a “real” American. Robert Sanabria tells a powerful story of “The Home,” its policy of assimilation and how it led to his own development as a confused and identity-starved adult. Through the experience, he became estranged from his siblings and even his mother. Robert Sanabria, a retired Army officer and successful sculptor, is still searching for his identity, as are all Americans in our increasingly diverse society.