Breaking and Bleeding of a Macho Man
Mexican born writer, Isabel Delia Gonzalez fictional book based on her observation of men believing machismo is the badge of courage. They have been conditioned to believe the courage is more important than life itself. What are the consequences of the conditioning?
This story is as timely today as it was 200 years ago. Story of tragedy and success will be told by an old man to his daughter.
The old man's story beginning in 1928 is set against the backdrop of a waning Mexican revolution and a mother telling her young boy his destiny is not to be a farmer as was his family before him, but a man of knowledge. Was her belief in his destiny tied to the color of his unusual white skin? The inner conflict of this man's story arises, from the strength of the unconditional love from his mother, and the destructive forces from his father.
Continually surrounded by superstitions and cultural conditioning of the Mexican machismo, the son can only see people becoming monsters, the bastardization of religion, the influence of witchcraft, the horrors of incest, subjugated women with no dreams, and the falsehoods of the "modernization" of Mexico.
What were the consequences to this old man of his emotional solitary confinement to protect himself from the forces of his surroundings trying to take his sanity away? Was his distorted inner world real? What did the outer world see in him?
"In Breaking and Bleeding a Macho Man, writer Isabel Delia Gonzalez has caught the essence of the work ethic of the Mexican culture. "The color of a man's skin did not matter to my father, what mattered was whether he was willing to work, to push himself to exhaustion, to not complain and to endure hardships." The relationship between a man and his wife, was clear too, "the one thing my abuelas had in common is they knew not to disrespect their husbands." However, it was the acceptance of the brutal beatings of sons to make a "Mexican Macho Man" which Gonzalez presents as the underlying attitudes that can lead to family breakdowns and the mental disorientation of both men and women. The endurance of pain perpetuated within the family unit was so very sad. Gonzalez makes a clear case: physical abuse can cause damage beyond the physical pain, which can heal,even if scars remain; but mental abuse, does not. Mental abuse can mark the child, the adult unfortunately, without intercession . . . for life." ~ Mimi Lozano, Founder of Somos Prinos, the leading Latino family history organization in the USA. "Breaking and Bleeding of a Macho Man is a novel written by Mexico-born Isabel Delia Gonzalez with backdrop of the waning of the Mexican civil war depicting one man's struggle in finding his way to success. The young man Ricardo finds strength and courage in small steps, sometimes forward and other times back. What are the consequences of being conditioned to hold the badge of honor regardless of the cost? What does a macho man bring and what will be his greatest contribution? Adhering to his distortion all those who enter his world will be touched. His mother pointing out to the horizon to instill in him there are many possibilities will save him from totally consuming the unreal. The author draws from her personal experience of culture shock as a child, moving from Mexico to a Midwest City in the United States of America in the early 1960s. Her tremendous strength and perseverance in the face of prejudices taught her many lessons on the importance of forgiveness. I hope that she writes a sequel so that we can continue our journey with Ricardo as he navigates adulthood. His struggles are still as timely today as they were in the last century." Judith Campbell, MD - Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
