Anora. A Book Of Healing and Finding Love.

Tomas Trujillo is an author and a poet. I am lucky enough to call him a friend. I've been working with Tomas to promote his book for children, Catch The Wind, and Tomas decided to send me his beloved Anora. Anora is a book written for adults. When I read books written for adults, especially "romance" novels, I often have to skip over pages of raunchy material that is "supposed" to entice me and make me want to read it. I usually read young adult books because I don't have to skip material and I can read a book the way the author wanted me to. From start to finish. Anora is very different from any adult books I've read. Years ago, another famous male author proved to me that men can indeed write romance books with feeling. Years later, I've found myself tired of the same story over and over. And someone always dies. With Tomas, I knew he was talented after reading his book for children. I swear, he's an up and coming Mark Twain and I don't think I'm off base to compare him to a legend. Take a chance. He's that good. His book for adults may even be better.

Anora is so real and the characters have so much depth considering the length of the book. It's only 70 pages. It's a quick read and my only complaint is that it isn't longer. I'd give anything to have Anora for more than a night or a long afternoon. That sounds bad, doesn't it? Seriously, this is a book I never want to put down and I would not complain if it had taken me a week to read it from start to finish.

Johnny is the main character of the story and he joins the Marines because it gives him freedom from his past. His family isn't really a family and he doesn't have the chance to experience any beauty in life because there is no one to love him. He's bullied and he makes the reader understand just how bad it can be to be in his shoes when deep down, you're scared of everyone. I had such an overwhelming sense of sympathy and it tore at my heart to know Johnny started his life in a cruel way. Johnny finds an outlet and learns to fight while in the Marines. It isn't long before he goes to Vietnam and he experiences the horrors of war. Taken as a POW, Johnny desperately tries to keep it together through the cruelty and abuse. He is disfigured and kept alive so the torture can continue. I've never been to war, but the author paints such a dramatic picture that I am allowed a brief glimpse into the horrible existence of being a prisoner of war in a "torture" camp. Johnny escapes with the others that are being held and does the unthinkable before leaving. He is left with nightmares and he looks in the mirror only to find that he no longer recognizes the person he has become. It's more than skin deep. He has demons to face but he isn't ready. He pushes them deeper and deeper, letting them fester as the infection builds. Being called a hero seems to trouble him. I can't tell you all the little details, but he meets an amazing man living on the streets. This man guides him home, to his Anora. Anora is actually a woman and she finds Johnny, battered and bruised and opens her heart to help him heal. The author opens a floodgate of emotions and Johnny learns to trust and he learns to gain support from others. He finds love and understanding through the kindness of a stranger. He finds beauty in the world and in the heart and soul of his Anora.

If you love reading books that touch your soul and take you on an emotional ride with more ups than downs, you must read Anora. You'll laugh and you'll cry and you'll walk away feeling something you may not have felt in years. Hope. Hope for others that are down on their luck. Hope that others will find love. Hope that there are people out there that look beyond the physical and emotional scars and search for the beauty within. Yes, you can get that from a book. As bad as things get, things will eventually get better because I believe there is something good for everyone, if only they'll take the time to open their hearts and look. I closed the book and had the overwhelming sense of luck-lucky to have found my Anora in life. Anora is a book of healing. It's a book about facing demons and finding love.

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Disclosure: I have a professional relationship with this author as his marketing manager and social media consultant. I hope you will take a chance and read his amazing books. My opinions are honest and not influenced in any way. If I didn't love his work, I wouldn't represent him.