man raised in the mountains of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico. Luisa's coming of age life experiences take us through family births, marriages and deaths, a devastating natural disaster, and political unrest in Puerto Rico as a Spanish colony. As romance develops between Luisa and a young man in her community, unsettling circumstances occur that cause her to dread what might happen in the years to come. Luisa must overcome her fears and learn to trust the unknown future to God.

Luisa, an intriguing and inspirational story based on true-life ancestors in the author's family tree will enlighten readers about the culture and traditions of rural Puerto Rico during the latter part of the 19^th century. Readers vividly feel what it was like to live day-to-day in that era, along with the cultural elements that make this tropical Caribbean island so unique. Young adults, those of Puerto Rican heritage, students of history or cross cultural studies, or anyone interested in understanding the roots of Puerto Rican culture will certainly be drawn to this story.