The Smell of Sugarcane

Beverly Ann Menke

Abandoned on foreign soil in a world where language and customs are a mystery, Sophia James, the eldest of six Californian children, is in charge—and she is only eleven. Told through the eyes of the sixty-year-old Sophia as she sits with oils painting a large canvas, The Smell of Sugarcane is based on a true story. Traveling through time with Sophia, the reader witnesses the strength and power that can be found when a human spirit is determined to survive and succeed. As she advances her painting, a remarkable story unfolds in a place where love is hidden and dangers abound and children hold tight.

Rich with tropical colors, the book revolves around the island of Puerto Rico. Its factual and descriptive narrative keeps the reader captive as the painting progresses. The reader will skip a heartbeat in moments when the children are in danger and will cry for their fears and injustices or laugh and celebrate victories.

The Smell of Sugarcane is about the importance of instilling strong principles and good values at an early age. Without these, the children would have been lost. This book is about picking up the torch of life and holding it high while running with all one’s might. Ultimately, it is about good profoundly triumphing over evil.

Hamilton Books

Pages: 252 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-0-7618-6286-4 • Hardback • December 2013 • $77.00 • (£59.00)

978-0-7618-6287-1 • eBook • December 2013 • $73.00 • (£56.00)

Subjects: Fiction / Family Life / General, Self-Help / Emotions, Family & Relationships / General, Psychology / Interpersonal Relations, Family & Relationships / Life Stages / Adolescence, Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family

The Smell of Sugarcane

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Abandoned on foreign soil in a world where language and customs are a mystery, Sophia James, the eldest of six Californian children, is in charge—and she is only eleven. Told through the eyes of the sixty-year-old Sophia as she sits with oils painting a large canvas, The Smell of Sugarcane is based on a true story. Traveling through time with Sophia, the reader witnesses the strength and power that can be found when a human spirit is determined to survive and succeed. As she advances her painting, a remarkable story unfolds in a place where love is hidden and dangers abound and children hold tight.

Rich with tropical colors, the book revolves around the island of Puerto Rico. Its factual and descriptive narrative keeps the reader captive as the painting progresses. The reader will skip a heartbeat in moments when the children are in danger and will cry for their fears and injustices or laugh and celebrate victories.

The Smell of Sugarcane is about the importance of instilling strong principles and good values at an early age. Without these, the children would have been lost. This book is about picking up the torch of life and holding it high while running with all one’s might. Ultimately, it is about good profoundly triumphing over evil.

Details

Hamilton Books

Pages: 252 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½

978-0-7618-6286-4 • Hardback • December 2013 • $77.00 • (£59.00)

978-0-7618-6287-1 • eBook • December 2013 • $73.00 • (£56.00)

Subjects: Fiction / Family Life / General, Self-Help / Emotions, Family & Relationships / General, Psychology / Interpersonal Relations, Family & Relationships / Life Stages / Adolescence, Social Science / Sociology / Marriage & Family

Author

Beverly Ann Menke is the author of Don Laws: The Life of an Olympic Figure Skating Coach (2012). She lives in Clarksville, Maryland, with her family. For more information, please visit www.beverlymenke.com.

Table of Contents

Sugarcane
Prologue
Chapter One—The Painting
Chapter Two—Medicine
Chapter Three—The Essence: The Core
Chapter Four—Rural Life, Smoke and Ashes
Chapter Five—Venezuela in Turmoil
Chapter Six—Puerto Rico, Another World
Chapter Seven—Mask of Deception
Chapter Eight—Music
Chapter Nine—Fruits of Deceit
Chapter Ten—The Face of Evil
Chapter Eleven—Silent Heroes
Chapter Twelve—Mali, Singapore, Madagascar
Chapter Thirteen—Everyday Staple, Traditions and Sugar Cane
Chapter Fourteen—Poetry and a Kiss
Chapter Fifteen—A Sparkle in the Rough
Chapter Sixteen—Maryland
Chapter Seventeen—The Crossroads
Chapter Eighteen—The Dream; University
Chapter Nineteen—The Face of Love
Chapter Twenty—Travel, Suitors and True Love
Epilogue
Sugarcane Mills of Puerto Rico’s Past

Reviews

The pace of the writing is both seductive and wonderfully rhythmical—a difficult challenge superbly-achieved given the nature and burden of the times and circumstances. A gem of a book.
— Michael Sellers, author of Cache on the Rocks

I read the first two hundred and fifty pages of The Smell of Sugarcane and went to bed. . . . Had to get up at 1 am and finish it! I loved it. Sophia is the Latin version of a Steel Magnolia.
— Donald White, freelance editor, Silver Spring, Maryland

From the first page I was drawn in. . . . It left me feeling more empowered.
— Traci Barnett, CEO, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland

Beverly: A creative artist of the Americas.
— Rudy Mangual, publisher, editor-in-chief, Latin Beat Magazine

Awards

• Winner, Honorable Mention, General Non-Fiction (Los Angeles Book Festival, 2014)
• Winner, Honorable Mention, General Non-Fiction (The Great Southeast Book Festival, 2014)

The Smell of Sugarcane

Beverly Ann Menke

The Smell of Sugarcane

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