Héctor Villa, a direct descendant of Pancho Villa, and his family have lived in the town of Belen, New Mexico on the Rio Grande since they were guided across the international border 20 years ago by coyotes. He has his own business as a computer repairman and considers himself a patriotic American and a proud supporter of President George W. Bush. Héctor believes in American values and the Republican Party, and can't understand why everyone doesn't, including his best friend, Jesus "Eddie" Juarez. He still thinks of America as the Promised Land, but things begin to go wrong in his life, especially after he is drafted to run as the GOP candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from his district, beginning a series of misadventures that perplex and trouble him and his wife, AveMaría. The result is a kind of crisis of faith from which Héctor emerges as a sadder but wiser man. The Education of Héctor Villa is a novel on a highly contemporary subject, a work that combines satire and comedy with deep sympathy and pathos.

Chilton Williamson, Jr.    

Excerpt from The Education of Hector Villa, Chapter 1 (The Villas of New Mexico)

Praise for Other Books by Chilton Williamson, Jr.:

"Mexico has genius for evoking our loves and fears. This dreamlike novella crosses the line and takes us into the Mexico we crave and dread and cannot seem to do without. The U.S. agent takes a bribe and winds up kidnapped and waiting for his execution when he finally finds a clue as to why he feels empty and and dead while still alive. And so begins to find the path to life itself."
                                         -Charles Bowden, on Mexico Way

"Williamson proves himself a stylish writer with a deft touch in creating three-dimensional characters, and in bringing the bleak beauty of the Wyoming outback to life."
                                       -Don Campbell, L.A. Times, on Desert Light

""Desert Light is a novel of wit, intelligence, and high style,
enriched with many fresh observations of the eroding West."
                                  -Edward Abbey, on Desert Light, Booklist