What do you think?
Rate this book


336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 28, 2004
As I drove along Mission Street toward the job-training center, my eyes were assaulted by a riot of color. Red, white, and green Mexican flags fluttered in the wind outside a bakery. Pink, saffron, and turquoise mobiles twirled lazily in front of the Asian market. Artichokes, oranges, avocadoes, grapefruits, and limes were heaped in the outdoor bins. A black lowrider was painted with brilliant flames. A woman strolled along wearing a purple and green sari. Several walls were painted with intricate multihued ethnic murals. Sound blasted my ears: salsa and rap music, honking horns, shouts, and the shrieking brakes of a Muni bus. The air was thick with the smell of frying tortillas, exotic spices, sesame oil, curry, and good old American grease. When I stopped for the light at Seventeenth Street, I saw a red, yellow, and blue parrot fall from above, its wings fluttering. It bounced off a parking meter and landed on the sidewalk. When I looked up, I spotted the laughing brown face of a little girl at a third-story window.