"Adopting the turtle as a metaphor for the Native American origins of border culture, Gonzalez frames this multitextured individual vision until it becomes a universal portrait of American life: a slow, ancient creature morphing into one of voracious rapidity. In surrealistic images, he hammers out a political statement from language that takes on a special urgency. Walking a fine line between lyricism and polemic he calls on Mexican Americans to return to their roots in order to avoid being swept up in American material culture."--BOOK JACKET.