If I die in Juárez /

Human rights activist Duarte's latest novel is based on a string of real-life murders in Ciudad Ju rez in the 1990s. Forced out of the house by her alcoholic mother, 13-year-old Evita takes to the streets, glimpsing newspaper columns about the murders, while struggling to survive. Petra, Evita's comely 19-year-old cousin, exchanges the country life for gritty Ju rez to raise money for her ailing father. An acquaintance of Petra, Mayela, a 12-year-old Tarahumara Indian, lives in an orphanage where her artistic talent is discovered. Over the course of the novel, the girls are stripped of their childhoods and face grotesque realities that stalk the streets, even under the guise of protection. After a chance encounter reunites the girls, they must work together before one of their own becomes a victim. Duarte's writing is laced with anguish and desperation and brings to life the grime and sleaze of Ju rez. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved