Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Co.

My neighbor came over to visit and gave me a copy of her favorite book, Gonzalez & Daughter Trucking Co. by Maria Amparo Escandon.  She said she bought several copies to give to her friends.  Ordinarily, I don't think I would choose it over other books on a shelf, but since it came with such high accolades, I dug right in.

The story goes back and forth between life in a Mexican women's prison, where Libertad Gonzalez is serving a mysterious term for an undisclosed crime, and reflections of life on the road where Libertad grew up with no home address except for her father's 18-wheeler.  Both cultures are quite foreign to me, which made it somewhat interesting to read, and I got a kick out of the father's quirky paranoia, sad as it was. 

I spent the first half of the book wondering why I was wasting my time reading this because I just could not get into it.  I stuck with it because I thought I owed it to my friend who gave me the book.  It helped me get back to sleep at night, though, while I was dealing with insomnia.  Yep, I thought it was boring.  But then during the last half, seeing the whole plot start to come together, appreciating more depth to the characters, and learning why Libertad was incarcerated, it was worth the time spent reading.  Even after finishing the book, I found myself contemplating it, so it made somewhat of an impression on me. 

I rate this book 2.5 stars out of 5.