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Using reflections of his Peace Corps years in Brazil (1965-67), artist-author Tomas Belsky with verses, short stories and his illustrations takes us on a culturally revealing journey into the rich and vast poverty stricken region of Northeastern Brazil. Here we get a glimpse into the Peace Corps that is both hilarious and heart rending. Along the way we meet peasants, prostitutes and priests in a colorful vignette of America's twin to the south.

Tomas Belsky's artistry is also viewable at his website: tomasbelsky.com

About the author: Tomas Belsky was born on July 4, 1938, the seventh of nine children to Russian/Polish immigrant parents, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His experiences in the labor force range from a chicken plucker and shoe-shine boy to school teacher, cartoonist, and sign painter. Always painting canvases and murals along the way. He attended several art schools and has a degree in American and Latin American Studies from San Francisco State University. "But it was only after my Brazil experiences did I grasp the meaning of America as the rest of the world sees us." He has lived in Hilo, Hawai'i with a Hawaiian Tigress since 1973 and has a daughter and grand daughter. Tomas has traveled to Mexico, Central America and Cuba, writing notes and poems which have been published in chap books through an artists' co-operative gallery. "The essence of my American Dream has been to be of some service to humanity. Peace Corps service opened the door to much introspection and dedication which has not closed over these past fifty years. Only through the arts can my brand of Truth be expressed; keeping Freedom and Justice alive is America's most important role in history."