Vividly describes the beauty and pain of day-to-day barrio life in Dallas. Achor's portrayal of the residents challenges long-accepted stereotypes of traditional Mexican American culture and Southwestern barrio life.

Shirley Achor is a native of Dallas, Texas, and has spent most of her life in the city about which she writes. She holds a PhD in anthropology from Southern Methodist University. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Traineeship and a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship in Ethnic Studies. Dr. Achor is an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at East Texas State University.