The Jinetera's Hustle

St. Oscar Romero, a hero of Myles Pacis, the principal protagonist in The Jinetera's Hustle.

This 'didactic novel' has been written especially for students for my General Studies course at Berea College, called "World Issues Since 1945." The book is intended primarily for use in the college classroom. It is directed not only towards my World Issues course, but towards college-level courses in religion and Third World Studies.

The book combines a narrative story about the pope's visit to Cuba in 1998 with expository chapters explaining concepts essential for understanding contemporary world issues.

The expository chapters appear as:

• Four classes related to liberation theology

• A speech on economic structural adjustment policies in the Third World

• A recollection of a trip to Africa followed by a dream imaging the West's ideological frame of reference

• A journal article on truth discernment

• An interview with Fidel Castro on liberation theology

• A sermon about the future of the church

• A papal encyclical on young people and human sexuality.

Of course, the narrative contains its own themes. These are best discovered by readers themselves.

Pope John Paul II, a main character in The Jinetera's Hustle.

Statements attributed to Pope John Paul II and Fidel Castro, when the words appear in bold, are actual quotations. In the case of John Paul, they have been taken from Carl Bernstein and Marco Politi's book, His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time (New York: Penguin Books, 1996). The picture of John Paull II shown here is from His Holiness too. Fidel Castro's words are taken from Fidel and Religion: Castro Talks on Revolution and Religion with Frei Betto (New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1987).

Otherwise, the persons and events in this novel are entirely fictitious.

My thanks go to colleagues and students who have helped me revise earlier drafts of the book. Invaluable encouragement, comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism came from colleagues Ruth and Ann Butwell, John Capillo, Anthony Chamberlain, June Fish, Roger Jones, Terry Manges, Richard Olson, Guy Patrick, Maggie and Peggy Rivage-Seul, Gwynn Rubio, Barbara Wade, and Judith Weckman. Particularly useful comments were offered by students who reviewed earlier versions of the novel, when I used it in my "World Issues" class; so thanks to Jennifer Craycraft, Adam Griffey, Rebecca Jones, Derek Law, Jimmie Lewis, Charles Matu, Brandon Moffitt, Jessica Napier, Lisa Newberry, Jeremy Patton, Jayne Polivchak, Natalie Pride, Addie Sine, Michelle Smith, Tanlee Taulbee, Rene Waller, and Lisa Weitzel. My teaching associates, Avena Cash and Sam Weddington gave me especially incisive critique.