Legend of the Lost Ass

Written by Karen Winters Schwartz

Narrated by Kenneth Fuentes

I think we should take it through Guatemala. A random text from a stranger inspires agoraphobic Colin to leave New York. His first stop is Brownsville, Texas, where he meets the sender, half-Mayan Luci Bolon, her ancient but feisty great-uncle Ernesto, and Miss Mango, a bright-orange Kubota tractor. Ernesto’s dream is that Miss Mango be driven to Belize and given to the family he left behind nearly seventy years ago. Colin agrees to join Luci on the long journey through Central America. In 1949, seventeen-year-old Belizean Ernesto falls painfully in love with Michaela, an American redhead nearly twice his age. Their brief but intense affair changes everything Ernesto has ever known. When she leaves, Ernesto is devastated. Determined to find her, he “borrows” a donkey from his uncle and starts off for Texas. He meets a flamboyant fellow traveler, and the three of them—two young men and the donkey they name Bee—make their way to America. The past and present unfold through two journeys that traverse beautiful landscapes. Painful histories are soothed by new friendships and payments of old debts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Nov 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094461892

Karen Winters Schwartz

Karen Winters Schwartz was born and raised in Ohio. She wrote her first truly good story at age seven. Her second-grade teacher, Mrs. Schneider, publicly and falsely accused her of plagiarism. Karen did not write again for forty years. As a writer and a mental health advocate, she is a sought-after speaker at events and conferences across the country. Karen and her husband moved to the Central New York Finger Lakes region, where they raised two daughters and shared a career in optometry. She now splits her time between Central New York, a small village in Belize, and traveling the earth in search of the many creatures with whom she has the honor of sharing this world. 

Reviews for Legend of the Lost Ass

[Alma Quillian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. The title attracted me because I love donkeys. The book is an explosion of color,life,and vitality. The author writes so beautifully and the story is a unique take on love and history. As each chapter jumped from the past to the present ,I found myself longing to get back to the story in the previous chapter. I was thoroughly involved with all the characters. It is a very visual book. I could see in my head all the author so beautifully described.