Salvador arrives in the United States from Argentina with one big, unfocused goal, to become successful at something. He knows that America is the land of opportunity and if he works hard, he will triumph.
Together with his childhood sweetheart, he settles in the Big Apple where dreams come true.
But this ambitious young immigrant soon learns that it takes more than hard work and charisma to succeed and is changed by the harsh realities of living in New York.
Everyone has advice for Salvador as he moves from one dead-end job to another attempting to reinvent himself. But the best advice comes from the loving letters he gets from his father. They keep him grounded and remind him of the man he wants to be until he loses this moral compass the day his father succumbs to diabetes.
As the 1960s roll into the 1970s and America and Salvador become less innocent, he finds himself in California where he starts his own business, and it finally looks like the American Dream is within his grasp.
But things get complicated when Argentina is involved in a war in the early 1980s and Salvador must decide where his loyalties lie. One wrong decision and bold act can bring his dreams crumbling down, and Salvador learns that there are consequences for being impulsive.
In the end, Salvador learns that there are boundaries men should not cross and that the love of family is perhaps the only worthwhile dream Americans should pursue.
Spanning decades, Let Us Begin is a moving story filled with joy and despair about a family searching for a home and a place to belong.
What Readers Are Saying About Let Us Begin
Julia’s best work as she writes the oh so familiar drama of immigration with a special twist. She shows her mettle as a storyteller with her heart in her hands and poignant memories that serve to reinforce the challenges and drama immigrants face even today.
Nora Comstock, National/International Founder
Las Comadres para Las Americas
“Let Us Begin” offers a gripping story that stays with readers long after it has ended. For those interested in learning more about the complexities of the pursuit of happiness and all that this entails, this novel is a compelling read thanks to the author’s vivid storytelling and accurate depiction of Salvador’s immigrant experience. A fantastic tale. I heartily endorse this book.
TheLatinoAuthor.com
Julia Amante’s Let Us Begin is a bittersweet exploration of one man’s pursuit of the American dream. Love, loyalty and loss are Salvador’s companions on his journey from his family home Argentina, as a lonely immigrant in New York and finally to California where he settles into an imperfect life of his own making. Let Us Begin is a compelling novel that is written with honesty and compassion.
Margo Candela, Author of The Neapolitan Sisters