BOOK REVIEW: Hay Locos

(Note From Wendy: Hope was born in Wilmington, DE, so has a local connection to that area, as well!)

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania resident Hope Boylston’s book HAY LOCOS is a personal and honest story of living in Chile and dealing with dictators, revolutionaries, important political people, and peasants.

Always told with humor and a sense of caring for the people that she met, the book gives the reader a closer glimpse of our South American neighbors. It reminds us of how little we know of the countries to our south.

Right after graduating from college in 1969, Hope and her friend Toody left Ft. Lauderdale in a four-wheeler to attend a New Year’s Eve party in Santiago, Chile. They were three months late for the party.

Settling in Santiago, Hope always seemed to find work. One of her early jobs was adapting Our Bodies, Ourselves, a book on women’s health. She was also able to find jobs both as a translator and as a teacher. She returned to Washington, D.C. for a period of time after the military coup that upset Salvador Allende’s government. In 1977, she returned to Chile. Through friends, she became involved with the Resistance movement and was forced to leave in 1981, right before the secret police came for her.

Hope describes the people that she meets along the way with affection, so that we feel that we also know them. The friends who were in the Resistance movement with her are treated with special respect. It was easy to see why this group who faced real danger together would become close.

At her recent book signing, I asked who are the crazies mentioned in the title (Hay Locos roughly translates “there are crazies here")--Are they you and Toody? The friends that you made? It seems that locos are a fish that are tenderized by beating them on a cement wall. In other words, they have their brains knocked out of them.

The book captures Hope’s love for a country where goodness and beauty do exist, even under a cruel government. She quotes the poet Mario Benedetti: “In my country, the people live happily even when they’re not given permission.”

HAY LOCOS is an adventure story up there with any novel; the difference is that this one is true. If you get a chance, go to Hope’s next book signing. She will share her love for this beautiful country and, if you are lucky, she might share some of its excellent wine with you.