Spotlight: Love in Any Language: A Memoir of a Cross-Cultural Marriage by Evelyn Kohl Latorre
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Love is tested when Antonio, a handsome university student, and Evelyn, a strong-willed Peace Corps volunteer, fall in love. At the end of her two-year commitment in Peru, Evelyn finds herself pregnant and the 23-year-olds marry in Cusco and then move to Northern California near Evelyn’s family. Like most wives of the ’60s and ’70s, Evelyn expects her husband to support their family, and Antonio tries to take his place as head of the household. But he must first learn English, complete college, and find a job.
To make ends meet, Evelyn secures full-time work, leaving their infant son in the care of others. The couple attends college — she for two years, he for six — which tests their fortitude. When Antonio is offered a full-time professorship at the university he attended in Peru, he accepts, leaving Evelyn a single parent. Parenthood, financial stress, the pull of both countries, and long visits from Antonio’s mother threaten to destroy the bonds that brought them together.
Readers will delight in witnessing Evelyn come into her own — as a woman, as a wife and as a mother — in this moving depiction of partnership and all the intricacies that encompass marriage and love.
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About the Author
EVELYN KOHL LaTORRE grew up in rural Southeastern Montana, surrounded by sheep and cattle ranches, before coming to California with her family at age 16. She holds a doctorate in multicultural education from the University of San Francisco, and a master’s degree in social welfare from UC Berkeley. She worked as a bilingual school psychologist and school administrator in public education for 32 years. Evelyn loves to explore other lands and cultures. To date, she and her husband have lived in and traveled to close to 100 countries. You can view her stories and photos on her website, www.evelynlatorre.com.
Evelyn’s first published book, “Between Inca Walls” about falling in love while serving in the Peace Corps, has won much praise and numerous prizes. Evelyn is often a featured podcast guest, lecturer and guest blogger. Her work has appeared in World View Magazine, The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, the California Writers Club Literary Review, the Tri-City Voice, Dispatches, Conscious Connection and Clever Magazine.
