"With chilling detail and deep compassion, Mattison Casaus chronicles how family trauma can be passed down through generations. Using beautiful symbolism, Casaus forges a family pistol, a treasured heirloom, which they assume is what protects them, but it almost destroys them." -Enrique R. Lamadrid, University of New Mexico Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Spanish
It is 1934, in the small town of Bernalillo, New Mexico. Mr. Soto and his sons are a Mexican American family that own and run the town's bar, grocery store, and apple orchards. To everyone's surprise, Mr. Soto decides to retire and leave the family businesses to his sons. The youngest, George, shares his news with his close friend, Ruben Valdez, who is not only jealous of George's new fortune but also desperately needs money. After getting into trouble with the mob and finding no other options, Ruben holds his former friend at gunpoint, asking him for the code to his family's safe. Anger, pressure, and cowardice causes Ruben to act in a way he never thought imaginable.
In this multigenerational tale, the story picks back up in the 1970s where that gun will be used again against the Soto men. The final piece of the story is in the late 1990s, which concludes how this family triumphed through generations. Based on a true story, A Piece of the Town spans multiple generations, proving identity can be understood through our past. Discover this family's New Mexican history, unfold their troubled past, and learn how family always comes first. Well, in most cases.