Michele Duva Libri

Covering three generations, this novel unveils the unglamorous lives of those who made Silicon Valley possible. An engineer and native of San Jose, Peter meets Bob in a coffee shop, mentors him, and tells Bob stories about the time when Silicon Valley was filled with orchards, about his friends' technical work, and his own ideas. Peter feels that Silicon Valley has lost its soul. Many years ago, picking apricots in the orchards, Peter met Sonia. They fell in love, married and had a child, Juana. Of Mexican descent, Sonia ushers into the story the economic, social and personal concerns faced by many Mexican families in Silicon Valley. As a grassroots organizer and feminist, Juana promotes a caring, well-knit community within a homegrown economy, using technology wisely. When her partner Gloria dies, Juana adopts Gloria's son, Martin. Loved by his extended family, rooted in the community, resourceful and tech-savvy, Martin shoulders the burden of steering Silicon Valley into the future.

Orphans Moon and Sun, nonverbal autistic teens, are brought to a small farm in the Sierra Nevada to be raised by farm caretakers, Jane and Joe. On the farm, surrounded by cats, dogs, and wildlife, the teens discover a freedom never experienced before. They communicate with each other and with Jane and Joe by drawing, sign language, and body postures. Bound by the dedicated care of Jane and Joe and the surprising beauty of nature, the teens thrive on the farm, living in the now. Day in day out, they become more confident, learn new things, and experience less frustration by shaping their own environment and creating their own future. They discover desire and sensual love for each other; their daughter Violet is born out of this love. Things take a wild turn with the sudden arrival of a blood relative, their Uncle Mark.

After a bizarre accident causes lovers Cassandra and Sam to separate, they both end up living in Manhattan, unaware that the other is no more than twenty blocks away. Their lives are shaped by the experience of dying and the fear of death. As a hospice nurse, Cassandra helps her patients die with dignity, inhabiting their space while sharing their last days, hours, and minutes. Cassandra understands that death is all about living; it isn't about dying at all. Sam is faced with his own death due to a diagnosis of stage three cancer. Homeless for a while, he lives his life purposelessly, waiting to drop dead at any time. Then the Coronavirus strikes...