Camaleón

Preface

Preface

You either fit in and enjoy the benefits of being seen as who you are or begin life camouflaging your true self in a world not made for you. Living who you are and presenting something else is more consequential than merely putting your best foot forward. As you hide the parts of yourself that feel shameful–- aspects of your identity, maybe a troubled past, possibly a trait that embarrasses you, others befriend or even fall in love with someone you are not. These unsustainable situations are the recurrent theme of Camaleón. The novella comes from memories of the deep struggles while living in the shadows in the 60s. Any likeness of the hero or characters to anyone, dead or alive, is avoided and accidental.

Camaleón is the sequel to Letters to Young Carlos, the story of a gay boy who grows up in the 60s on the border with Mexico. Both tales speak to living your truth with compassion and disclosure. Silence will not save you. It never saved me.

Carlos Valenzuela