At the core of the earth, there was a woman with features that changed with the movement of the sun. She grabbed him. He was no longer frail, but small like a child and the woman who lived in the core of the earth threw his body up into the sky, and before he could blink, he was surrounded by hundreds of women in bright dresses grabbing at him, laughing with joy that his fall had not killed him.

Acknowledgments

This work of fiction was inspired by some historical facts, lots of cuentos from people’s lips and from the memory our bodies carry. For that I want to thank the ancestors and the lineage of women I descended from. Throughout the journey in writing this novel, many generous spirits offered me their time, ideas, thoughts, books, and resources. A special thanks to Julia Kang, for your intelligent observations and continuous support as a writer and friend. Chris Heiser, your feedback was priceless. Nelly Rosario, just when I thought I didn’t have any more energy left to finish this book, you reenergized me with your insight. Juan Aceves, I am indebted to you for your love and honesty. Gracias, Joanne Cruz, my dearest sister, who assisted me with translation and research. Adelina Anthony, it was you who invited me to Dallas seven years ago and inadvertently started me on my Dallas trip. Marta Lucía Vargas, it was during the many sleepless nights in organizing WILL with you that I gathered the seeds for this novel. And Paolo Piscitelli, you are a constant inspiration. Grazie. Also thank you to: Eugene Datta, Hector M. Graciano, Alba Hernández, Madhu Kaza, Lily Liy, Jeff Montero, Rosie Scott, and Lidia Torres.

My wonderful editor, Marysue Rucci, I thank you for all your thoughtful advice and dedication to this book. To my agent, Ellen Levine, your support and faith in my work is invaluable. To the assistants, Tara Parsons and Melissa Flashman, I truly appreciate all your help in this process.

I am grateful for the scholars who took the time to review my historical references: Professor Sintia Molina and Professor Silvio Torres-Saillánt. A very special thanks to Lenina Trinidad and her team of lawyer friends for making sure I got my facts straight. I also want to acknowledge Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Ledig House International Writer’s Colony, the Camargo Foundation, Fundación La Napoule, all of which provided me with financial support and a tranquil space, for significant amounts of time, to work on this novel. There were many books, videos, newspaper articles, and internet sites to inform this novel. Among them, The Dominican Republic, by Frank Moya Pons, and Dominican Diary, by Tad Szulc. Thank you, Alex Rivera and Bernardo Ruiz for your documentary, The Sixth Section. Your work documenting immigrant laborers taking action within their communities was extremely helpful in providing me with the imagination and energy to continue our struggle to make this world a fairer place. I would also like to acknowledge the helpful staff at the Archivo General in Santo Domingo, and my deepest gratitude for the resources of the Dominican Institute at CUNY City College.