Author Description

Luca, the main character in this story, is a five-year old boy. One day, Luca hears that a woman of color has been found lying on the street in his neighborhood. People are distressed and saddened by the incident; they talk about shots and murder. But Luca can’t understand why such terrible things happen, and he imagines that the woman of color was green. Then one day, while looking in the mirror, he discovers that although is mother is white, his own skin is black like his father’s. He is made up of different colors that love each other! People continue to yell in the street and Luca feels scared. He has a terrible desire to cry and feels that something bad is going to happen to him. Luckily his grandmother Dolores appears, like a fairy godmother, to comfort and reassure him. With just a few words, his grandmother makes him laugh. The laughter frightens off the fear. And the fear is gone! This brief but poetic text examines relationships of love and hate between people of different races, and the problems that sometimes arise when they coexist. It seems that any type of altercation disturbs Luca’s sensitive childish world. It’s a good thing that his grandmother’s arms offer him the protection he needs, and her tender words of affection can turn his tears to laughter and hope.