El Rinche: The Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande

A novel, set in South Texas, that challenges the Lone Ranger story with a Chicano Superhero in the early 20th century. Mexican Tejano families have been living in South Texas for hundreds of years. The completed railroad has brought another wave of Anglo settlers seeking new lands by any means necessary. Chonnie’s family has been murdered and Mexican Tejanos are being terrorized in the name of progress by a ruthless organization known as the Texas Rangers. What will Chonnie do? Who will he become? Those who have terrorized the Mexican American community will soon meet their match. 

"A thrilling border saga ripped from the pages of Texas history, El Rinche: The Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande, gives younger readers a crucial history lesson while keeping them turning pages! I only wish Carmona's novel had been around when I was a young reader. I'd have been wiser in understanding the experience of our people regarding "official" narratives that most often serve to whitewash Texas history. Best of all, it's a great read!"

--Manuel Luis Martinez, author of Los Duros, a novel and winner of the American Book Award

"A heart-pounding, powerful story about the undying spirit of the Plata family--and how they fight to defend their land from being stolen, even in death."

--Natalia Sylvester, author of Author of Chasing The Sun & Everyone Knows You Go Home

"A romping picaresque that insists on crossing borders--not just the physical one between Mexico and the United States, but the social borders between races and the lines between good and evil."

--Benjamin H. Johnson, author of Revolution in Texas: How a Forgotten Rebellion and Its Bloody Suppression Turned Mexicans into Americans