With the Turn of a Silver Knob — Johanna Cabral

Dolores Vargas has not lived an easy life. She has spent most of her childhood suffering from a speech impediment while living in the Dominican Republic. After several attempts, she is finally allowed to join her family in the United States, and she could not feel more blessed. Dolores believes she has left all her troubles behind. Because she is so headstrong, Dolores soon rebels against her father's strict rules. To deal with her, he plans to send her back to the Dominican Republic and marry her off to a rich older man. With the help of her only friend, Rafy, Dolores flees in an effort to escape the male domination of her world. Dolores' plan is to lose her virginity-which will make her a less attractive prospect for marriage-but the plan backfires, and she finds herself utterly alone and facing a difficult decision. It takes the influence of the women in her family to show Dolores she can survive. She does have options, and she is determined to take control of her own fate.