Born in the Bronx, raised in Miami, relocated to Houston - Mary is of Puerto Rican descent, a mother to four grown children, "Mimi" to a couple of gorgeous grandchildren, and happily married (the second time around) to a phenomenal man for twenty-two years. Mary A. Pérez is the author of "Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace", her debut memoir of the turbulent and uncertain childhood she survived, unlike her sister. Mary was born to a Puerto Rican immigrant family in the Bronx of New York and moved to Miami, Florida in 1962. Her childhood story played out against the backdrop of constant social change which defined the 1960s and forever altered the landscape for future generations. With political tensions of the time raging during the Vietnam War, there was a personal war within Mary's own family dominating her life. Her future held little hope for a precious girl who lived through more traumas before her adult years than most live in a lifetime. As she cleaved to the Godly faith that her grandparents instilled in her at an early age, she still found the courage to persevere through her young adulthood seeking the peace and serenity they had shown her, though it continued to be an elusive ambition. As you get to know Mary in the pages of this moving story of hope and forgiveness, you will be overcome by the power of a grandparent's love for their granddaughter, a child's quiet understanding of God's path for her, and the way in which Mary turned a life of peril into a life of promise. This book will leave you with the undeniable power of faith, hope, and love. Mary began writing her memoirs in 2008 and continues to share her inspiring outlook with her writers group and fans through her blog. Her award-winning essays have appeared in La Respuesta and Sofrito for Your Soul. Mary A. Pérez is the author of "Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace", her debut memoir of the turbulent and uncertain childhood she survived, unlike her sister. Mary was born to a Puerto Rican immigrant family in the Bronx of New York and moved to Miami, Florida in 1962. Her childhood story played out against the backdrop of constant social change which defined the 1960s and forever altered the landscape for future generations. With political tensions of the time raging during the Vietnam War, there was a personal war within Mary's own family dominating her life. Her future held little hope for a precious girl who lived through more traumas before her adult years than most live in a lifetime. As she cleaved to the Godly faith that her grandparents instilled in her at an early age, she still found the courage to persevere through her young adulthood seeking the peace and serenity they had shown her, though it continued to be an elusive ambition. As you get to know Mary in the pages of this moving story of hope and forgiveness, you will be overcome by the power of a grandparent's love for their granddaughter, a child's quiet understanding of God's path for her, and the way in which Mary turned a life of peril into a life of promise. This book will leave you with the undeniable power of faith, hope, and love. Mary began writing her memoirs in 2008 and continues to share her inspiring outlook with her writers group and fans through her blog. Her award-winning essays have appeared in La Respuesta and Sofrito for Your Soul.