A wild-eyed, copper and emerald feathered gamecock takes over a family's life in present day Broken Tree, Texas, much to the chagrin of Ann Singer Gonzales, caregiver to Momma Johnson. Ann lives on the fringe of a palatial stable estate in a shabby trailer with her husband, a dressage horse groom, and two children: a bullied, overweight fifth-grader and a high school cheer captain. When El Guapo, the rooster, flaps his way into their hearts, he alters everyone by way of money, friendship, loss and rebirth, however, not everyone shares the same opinion about the bird in this
emotional, gritty and action-packed
novel.
Follow the lives of the Gonzales children as they navigate hardships in this coming-of-age story as well as the family itself as they struggle against poverty, identity and moral dilemmas while trying to maintain dignity along the way. Ann, the bread winner faces challenges with her husband Rob who becomes involved in the bloodsport of cockfighting. Meanwhile, Marisol, a junior in high school, is discovering another culture while dating Juan Cruz. Matt, on the other hand, is just trying to survive his bullies and care for his only friend, El Guapo.