Review of Ghost of the Rio Grande

[Chiwelite Obioma Mgbeoji]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ghost of the Rio Grande" by Don Allen Holbrook.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Ghost of the Rio Grande by Don Allen Holbrook and Dr. Gilberto Garcia is a book that tells the story of a small Texas town by the Rio Grande river. This small town was tainted with illegal Italian merchants, and tales of the European war were not left untold. It portrayed the way poor immigrants were treated across the globe. It showed us how deep-rooted corruption, lies, false allegations, betrayal, and greed were in the political system.

This book tells the story of Fabriciano Garcia, whose life changed for the worse in a split second after he attempted to save his family. Like all immigrants, Fabriciano had high hopes for himself and his family, he had also imagined a future free from injustice and war, but fate had other plans. He was constantly on the run, separated from his family, and denied his freedom. Despite all these, Fabriciano swore to fight for his freedom. Hopes for his freedom came in the form of one Mr. François LaBorde. Mr. LaBorde showed him the secrets of the political system and businessmen in the area. As luck would have it, his freedom finally came, but will he have the opportunity to enjoy this freedom with his family?

On the positive aspects of this book, I loved how the author captured the theme of loyalty, friendship, and brotherhood using Fabriciano Garcia and Rufus. I loved how the author captured all of Fabriciano's experiences and made the readers feel like they were present in all his journeys. The author created imaginary scenarios with words on how each and every of Fabriciano's adventures felt like, even on the battlefield. Also, the author beautifully captured the themes of hypocrisy which later resulted in betrayal through the Mendez family. One could go further to say that this buttresses the belief and concept of being betrayed by 'your own people.' The Americans' admirable sense of organisation, hierarchy, unity, and strength can not be left out, as even in the face of adversity and manipulation, they stood strong. The book was also written in simple diction.

On the negative aspects of this book, there's not much I could consider as the negative aspects of this book save for the fact that some readers may find it confusing due to the high number of characters introduced in the story and the long underground network of spies and informants. One might get confused trying to know the leaders of the mentioned cities and countries in the book and their underground spies.

I recommend this book for everyone but most especially for those that love the military genre. I believe the readers would have a lot to learn about how political games are played. The book was sufficiently edited. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I deducted a star from my rating due to the negative aspects I found. The book was an enthralling read. Hence, I could not deduct any other stars.

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Ghost of the Rio Grande
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[FunkyFlowerLady]

A great tale along the theme of loyalty, friendship, and brotherhood! It's lesson in bravery and strength. Amazing review!

[Temi Book]

This is a great story with themes of love, betrayal, injustice and the likes. It will be an intense one. Thanks for a great review!