Friday 56 and The Earthquake Machine (and an e-book giveaway!)

Before bed there was one more sweet urge to confess what she'd done, what she wanted to do.

- p. 56, The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry

I'm so excited! Today in my mail, a copy of this book was waiting for me. And the author was gracious enough to offer up an e-book for one of my readers... yes, my very first e-book giveaway on this blog!

Here's a quick summary:

The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14 year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda's world but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manipulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda's life is her family's Mexican yardman, Jesus. But when the INS deports Jesus back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation. Determined to find her friend Jesus, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Boquillas, Mexico. There a peyote-addled bartender convinces her she won't be safe traveling alone into the country's interior. So with the bartender's help, Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jesus. Thus begins a wild adventure that explores the borders between the United States and Mexico, adolescence and adulthood, male and female, English and Spanish, and adult coming-of-age and Young Adult novels. 

I'm loving the exotic cover, and I'm giving myself ample time to read and share my thoughts on this one. Join in and you could win an e-copy! What are you waiting for? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join in the Friday 56 fun over at Freda's Voice!