| | |  Entertainment | Books | July 2008 
Author Shares Chronicles of a Paradise Lost in Baja Diaries
 BlackNews.com
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| | Author - George Puckett | | |
Tucson, AZ - It may read like a novel, but Baja Diaries - Chronicles of a Paradise Lost (published by AuthorHouse), the new book by George E. Puckett, is anything but fiction. The fascinating memoir recounts, in striking detail, the eye-opening and heartbreaking experiences of George and his wife, Tina, an African American couple from Tuscon, Ariz., over a seven-year span in their lives. Kent Anderson, Ph.D., writes in the book's foreword:
In 1994, [George and Tina Puckett] embarked on a great adventure, leaving behind the United States of America, many friends and family, to settle in a beautiful enclave near the Pacific Ocean in the Mexican city of Ensenada in Baja California. The episodic nature of Baja Diaries reveals the high accomplishments of the Pucketts, their dashed hopes, and, ultimately, tragedy.
George and Tina Puckett were simply looking for somewhere to vacation one year when a friend recommended Ensenada, Mexico. The couple had no idea at the time that the beautiful beachfront community would be their home for the next seven years, and that the illusionary paradise would play host to some of the most challenging times in their lives. They had no idea that amidst the good memories they would make and the good people they would meet, there would be just as many bad experiences and encounters with "unsavory" characters.
While their time in "paradise" allowed them to expand their horizons, develop new friendships and experience a strange and scenic land from a perspective few will ever know, the Pucketts would eventually become overwhelmed by "systematic Mexican skullduggery in the form of dubious real estate dealings" and shady practices on behalf of law enforcement. Frequent instances of death and religious infighting among their fellow Americans would begin to conquer their pioneering spirits, and just as their struggles were coming to a climax, they would be stricken once more by incredible tragedy.
In Baja Diaries - Chronicles of a Paradise Lost, George offers his thoughts on these experiences as a "catharsis" for "trying to come to grips with 7 years of his life," and as a way to share the truth with other Americans considering a retirement in Mexico.
Author George E. Puckett attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he was active in the Civil Rights movement. He later attended LeMoyne College in Memphis before joining the U.S. Air Force. After he was honorably discharged, George attended San Jose State University, where he graduated with honors in 1972. He later attended graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley. He is the father of three, including a daughter, Alysia Marie, and two sons, Edward and Everett, both of whom are paralyzed. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Baja Diaries will fund Everett's visit to Project Walk in an attempt to get him on his feet and walking again.
George Puckett, epgeorge007(at)gmail.com. Website address, www.bajadiaries.com, including ordering information |
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