Estados Unidos/United States

Seductive and controversial, "Estados Unidos/United States" pulsates with passion, intrigue and political ambition as financial titans clash over US-Mexican immigration policies. This tightly woven novel extrapolates present trends to construct a plot packed with powerful conflicts and human emotions. In doing so, the novel focuses on three formidable characters: the wealthy and influential Esteban Sanchez, his brilliant, captivating son, Carlos, and the woman Carlos loves, Janet Graham, whose goal is to reach high political office. While Esteban and Carlos work separately behind the scenes to implement border-cracking legislation for an ambitious union between the U.S. and Mexico, other forces come into play: "The moment had arrived. Time to begin the beguine. How the world would dance Regrettable, even painful, the pilot lamented, the numbers that would be sacrificed. Yet as Spartacus and Bolivar, Joan of Arc and George Patton knew, only slaughter could galvanize a government, so slaughter it would be." The lunacy has to be stopped. Carlos is convinced that once Janet truly understands Mexico, she will support "his" vision. In her relentless quest to internalize Mexican culture, she unearths the roadmap to a better tomorrow. The Klines' firsthand experiences and additional research make this novel both explicative and riveting.