Novels Set In Mexico Part 2

There are a few English authors that have used a backdrop of Mexico with great success in their novels. One book, called The Black Pearl, was written by Scott O'Dell, and tells the story of a family of pearl divers, and their trials and tribulations. Created in 1967, it uses characters local to Mexico and the state of Baja California, in particular.

The novel details Ramon's path to maturity as he strives to make his father, the best diver in the area, proud. He eventually finds the Pearl of Heaven, which he hopes will bring good luck and fortune to both his family and their small town. However, the discovery only results in disaster, and the resurgence of a fabled giant manta ray in the sea. The book was adapted into a 1977 film, directed by Saul Swimmer.

Pearl divers in La Paz, Mexico, were also written about by the American writer John Steinbeck. While he's known better for the novels 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'Of Mice and Men', in 1947 he published 'The Pearl', which used a similar backdrop to address the nature of good and evil in man. It was based on an old folk story that lectured about the consequences of abusing one's station in life and how greed can destroy an entire community.

The novella focuses on the extremely poor Kino, who happens to be a very good pearl diver, and local tragedy. The boy Coyotito is taken ill, (the son of Juana and himself), and his father has difficulty paying for the doctor. Naturally at this moment, he recovers the largest pearl that he's ever laid eyes on. While he has hopes that the gem will bring his family a little bit of stability, it only results in chaos and turmoil. Darkness and greed follow it, and the young family finds that they face the loss of their home, their community, and each other if they continue to hold onto it.

For child and young adult readers, mystery and imagination go hand in hand. Almost all North American adults will remember fondly reading about Nancy Drew, the clever girl detective whose stories have been published since 1930, or The Hardy Boys, her male counterparts. The Hardy Boys had an adventure in Mexico City involving stolen gold, called 'The Jungle Pyramid'; it was published in 1977.

'The Copper Canyon Conspiracy', was a 1994 team-up between the two investigative teams. It starts with Nancy Drew meeting Tasio, a Tarahumara native from Mexico, who is in danger. His people are embroiled in a dispute with some powerful industry barons over the logging and lumber mills in his home town. Bribery, corruption, and greed in the Sierra Madre are the focus of the Nancy Drew novel, where she teams up with Frank and Joe Hardy, to undercover a huge conspiracy.

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