Fabricated Mexican, A

Rick Rivera's first novel charts the at times hilarious, at times bitter-sweet saga of
growing up in two cultures with the American Dream as a guiding light. In a series of
poignant vignettes, the reader follows Ricky Coronado's search for identity, a search made
more difficult by the specter of his father's suicide and the pressures placed upon him by his
strong-willed mother.

The narrator is a quiet, although mischievous boy who reports on the antics of his close-
knitand often eccentric family. The amusing misadventures of the clan include his stepfather's
proposal to his mother, visits to the psychiatrist and the comic misconstruction of Catholic
catechism by well-meaning nuns.

In his journey of self-discovery that harkens to the pioneer work of Oscar Zeta Acosta's
Brown Buffalo adventures, Ricky comes to the realization that generations of hyphenated
Americans have reached: the painful but rewarding creation of a new self that combines
elements of both ethnic realities.