Latin Boy Shuffle: Early Years

By Dr. Albert Valencia

A compelling story of a boy growing up in Watts, Compton, and Pico/Union in South Central Los Angeles amid violence, drug abuse, gangs, racism, and poverty. Whispers of a future draw this young bilingual boy onto a path that is confusing and frustrating. At first, he is just trying to escape his daily surroundings and he begins to write down words in Spanish and English on paper napkins, and scratch paper. These words grow and grow. As time passed the author would take his mother's ironing board and extend it wherever there was room and do his homework and he would write. The ironing board would be extended in darkened rooms, behind the apartment building where he lived, or on the street curb. Whenever he wrote he always felt better. Latin Boy Shuffle was the name of a dance in high school and it changed my life as the young men who danced the dance, paid the price with their lives. The book took his issues and helped him towards resolution to find forgiveness and to rectify the issues that occurred in his youth. This book is one way to offer hope and encourage young people to fully face their life with the promise of courage.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FKN94GL2
• ISBN13: 9798289394620
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"