The author chronicles the dazzling and the harrowing events of his childhood charged with harrowing absurdities from the pervasive blighted poverty he endured. The near-constant run-ins with his stepmother's mother and her abusive treatment of him and his siblings marred his experience in his home country.

When he moved to Boston to live with his father and his stepmother, he experienced intense culture shock within the inescapable caste system of his adopted country. Eventually, he made his own way through a combination of so-called menial jobs, though usually a city's or a town's lifeblood, and schooling and a good dose of insight and optimism of the life he created for himself and his family.

Out of Quisqueya is a story of grit, hope and the promise of America that immigrants cling to. It's both the author's journey and a universal immigrant story. This memoir tells of the trials and triumphs of human resilience when dealing with a daunting existence.