I read this book as part of a college assingment many years ago; and I still keep all the characters in my heart.

It is a painful analysis of a family who faces poverty and all the uncertainty that comes with it. The loss of the mother and the lack of the father's affection for his children, makes for a story that was so painful at times; that I had to put it down and not deal with it for days at a time.

What makes it so great, it's the fact that is a true story and it leaves you with a sense of hope. Seeing how all the characters made it in the end, and still managed to love each other unconditionally. Read it only if you want to experience what is like to live in a vecindad in Mexico city; with all that comes with that!