Secrets of San Miguel

by Alice Denham

Why is San Miguel de Allende known as one of the most fascinating towns in the world? In a high-powered collection of tales spanning more than forty years, the outrageous literary raconteur Alice Denham answers that question. With a pen already well-sharpened by her celebrated "tell-all" memoir Sleeping With Bad Boys, Denham tells yet more, and more, and more ... ... about hippies forcibly shorn of their manes, womanizing drug dealers, police torture, gorgeous bullfighters, martyred laborers, good-hearted murderers, black-hearted saints, international sex and romance both gay and straight-with rape, incest, brutality, infidelity, betrayal, kindness, loyalty, generosity, heroism, family love, and abiding friendship in the mix. You may have read books about Mexico, and even about San Miguel, but you've never read one like this. Secrets of San Miguel opens a Pandora's box of wild, wicked, scandalous, funny, and heartbreaking tales about a Mexican town long known both for its beauty and the day-to-day misadventures of its artists, writers, expatriates, and locals-by an author who was there for it all.

212 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2013

About the author

Alice Denham (born January 21, 1933 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American model, writer and scholar. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the July 1956 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Mike Shea and Lawrence Tirschel. Denham posed for other men's magazines during her modeling career, but she was as well known for her academic achievements as for her physical attributes. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina in 1949 and a master's degree from the University of Rochester in 1950, and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa society. Her writing talents were obvious to Playboy; several Playmates have written the text that accompanied their pictorials, but Denham is the only Playmate to have written a short story that was published in the same issue as her centerfold. Denham pursued a career in writing and education. She's written several short stories and novels, including Amo and My Darling from the Lions, and taught creative writing at the City College of New York, where she served as an adjunct professor of English from 1970 to 1980. She also held fiction-writing seminars at the University of Toronto for several years. According to The Playmate Book, she has completed her memoirs and also is writing a non-fiction book about her family's "migration from South Carolina and Scotland to Florida at the time of the Seminole Indian Wars."

Reviews

[Judy King · Rating 3 out of 5]

while the book was basically well written, the repetition of the authors unending conquests became tiresome. I enjoyed the snippets of San Miguel and of the local characters and color.

[Joe Rodeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'Pregnant with her fifth, at twenty-four?' Mexico was drenched , drowning, choked in fertility. Among the poorest eight children was average. Blame machismo, blame Catholicism, blame poverty. Blame the rich."

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A la Taos, Santa Fe; San Miguel, Mexico, is a farther out haven for American artists, writers, and such cultural elite. Alice Denham talks mainly about her fellow free spirits with sexual candor and nonchalance. More valuably, she paints a picture of Mexico with various vignettes and factual stats. Her style is sizzling: an excellent ear for the catchy soundbytes and quotable quotes.

There are the nice things about San Miguel, but also the gross. One has to be prepared for graphically described sexual abuse. [What's the worst you can imagine about depraved gringos who want to adopt nine year old girls?] These portions are punishing. But then she's back to her history, mythology, writing, and her pals' intrigues (guilty pleasure, but what the heck!).

[Jennifer J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth. . .it was a bit of a struggle for me to get through this book.
This was a read for a local book club and we are offered quite a variety of genre, authors, etc. - an interesting stretch for us all!
I'm sure there are several readers who enjoy this type of book but I confess, I am not one of them.
Great Kindle price, though! :-)

[Nick Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an odd book. I wanted to enjoy it and read some short stories. There were a few that caught my eye, but most were about her friends and acquaintences, who I didn't care for too much. Also, it is just written very badly.

[Jim Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the mountains of Mexico is a town that strives mightily to maintain the flavor of Old Mexico. It is a beautiful place and it is named San Miguel. Does it seem logical that a town that emphasizes authenticity would fill itself with expats, Gringos, non-Mexicans in the most Mexican of communities. Does it surprise you that many of the expats are crazy? Does it surprise you that some of them are prone to make the beast with two backs, or to sample the product of the grape a little too assiduously.
Complicated lives intertwine through this book written by one of the more colorful of the Gringas, the only woman who was ever a playmate of the month and had a short story in the same (or any other) issue. Alice Denham has visited San Miguel every year for more than she would care to admit, has taught at the Instituto, knows everybody. It's not all here in this book. It would take many books for that, but the best is here. Unless you've lived here yourself for years you'll learn surprising things that you would never have expected in this book. And be mightily entertained all the while.
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[Katie Spear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is what I was expecting in Lovers, Liars and Lotharios: Lessons Learned and Self Esteem Earned by Marlayna Glynn Brown – the crazy sexploits of a women in strange relationships. It’s all here in San Miguel.

The book is lively and full of details. I loved the snippets of local color. The author made San Miguel seem like a great place to live if you want to be entertained. It spanned several decades so you got to see the town and the author change.

I thought the book was great fun. I think it’s one of those rare little gems few people know about but most would enjoy.

[Audrey Calpis · Rating 4 out of 5]

San Miguel had a number of secrets but not any longer.

Alice Denham has no doubt upended many of their lives with this saucy little tale.

I thought it was quite fun to read.

The details were interesting.

The locals were funny and unique.

All and all, this was a good book to enjoy in an afternoon.

[Yvonne Dutchover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great glimpse at San Miguel from an American expat's point of view.