A seventy-three-year-old homeless refugee performs unnoticed magic and acts of quiet heroism. No one imagines that she will turn the world upside down.
La Tortuga arrives in the surreal wreckage of Mexico City longing for just one thing; her own bed. But the concrete-skinned city is steeped in the pain of colonisation, exploitation and corruption. She must join its broken and weary inhabitants who persevere, as their culture's vivid colours and memories infuse them all with an urge to survive.
As La Tortuga pursues her mission, an oppressive System of Monsters that criminalises migrants, limits housing access, and destroys forests, tries to stop her. Hostels vanish when she approaches them, and migrant shelters have shut down. She forms an unlikely friendship with a US tourist and encounters a scared, half-bald child who sees the internal maps of things using an old dentist's mirror. But when the tourist tries to help, he inadvertently places the child in grave danger.
Nevertheless, La Tortuga must find and confront the System of Monsters before exhaustion extinguishes her magical abilities.
The Eyes of the Earth lays bare the bones of the world, decodes injustice, unravels inequality, rescues dignity, and reveals the essence of humanity; its pains and potential.
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"Using fiction, Tamara Pearson boldly and directly confronts the raw and real challenges of our world. Her novel is powerful, and its message universal. La Tortuga is not only the millions of suffering refugees, but the very spirit of the Global South fighting for survival, yearning to be seen, yet holding onto hope.
The novel not only identifies the true problems ravaging our world, but it also screams for the need for collective action. If we are serious about our desire to make the world a better place, we must ignore quick fixes and pass answers, and delve deeper into the real world of loss, misery and inequality. The Eyes of the Earth is a great place to start for that badly needed reality check." - Ramzy Baroud, American-Palestinian founder of The Palestine Chronicle, internationally-syndicated columnist, author of various books including My Father Was a Freedom Fighter, The Last Earth, and These Chains Will Be Broken
"The Eyes of the Earth" is a profound and evocative exploration of resilience, magic, and the stark realities of global inequality. Through the eyes of La Tortuga, a seventy-three-year-old refugee with extraordinary abilities, Pearson masterfully intertwines the personal struggles of migration with the broader systemic injustices, all set against the vibrant backdrop of Mexico City. This novel not only captivates with its magical realism but also inspires a deeper understanding of the hidden heroes who tirelessly battle for a more just world." - Farooq Tariq, journalist, South Asia activist leader, head of Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee for coordinating peasants
"Two opposite worlds collide in The Eyes of the Earth. Pearson portrays the inequalities and contradictions of modern Mexico, the US and Latin America beautifully." - Paul Antoine Matos, Mexican journalist and author
"The Eyes of the Earth is a kaleidoscope, a magical tale of truth in a world of injustice and lies. A window into the pain, struggle, and dreams of those forced to cross borders in search of a new beginning. It is a breeze of hope, whispering that anyone can right the upside down, and carry us into tomorrow." - Michael Fox, author, journalist, filmmaker, podcaster, former NACLA editor