Little Heroes
Boys of the Barrio
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
This book is dedicated to true-life heroes. I have been privileged to meet some of these unsung but nevertheless real heroes. Their world is the Barrio of Nigua, a town west of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and their names are unknown to anyone but the people they are involved with. I went there on business three years ago, and the town has captivated me ever since. I have been honored to be invited into their homes, which are situated in midst of abject poverty. I have been permitted to witness the constant uncertainty of their lives and have been allowed into their small world of optimism and the dreams they keep dreaming in spite of their desperate situation. I was humbled by the trust and love they gave me, unconditionally, as only children can do. The world these children live in is completely alien to us. I hope that this book will help open the reader’s eyes to the challenges that children in the developing world face on a daily basis. What makes this book unique is that it was inspired by a single boy who entered my life unexpectedly three years ago. If he had not suddenly appeared in my life, I would not have given a second thought to any of these kids, just as I’d never given a second thought to others like them in other times and places. I was the one who was awakened - by a 10-year-old boy. He was just a boy shining shoes like millions of his kind do all over the world, and I happened to be one of his clients, a white “Gringo" having his rum at a roadside Cantina like thousands of other men. This boy became my teacher. In his Barrio he is called "the beautiful child". After my decades of frustration, this boy showed me what was really needed in the Barrios of the world. Over the last three years, I have spent 2-4 weeks at a time in Nigua and have just returned from a stay of over two months living among these children and their families. My eyes have been opened to an understanding of their plight that I could never have learned in the best universities. I am awed and humbled because I have learned more from them than they learned from me. The last two months in Nigua surely demonstrated to me that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. In this book I will tell the true stories of six boys. I couldn’t have made these stories up if I’d wanted to The boys of Nigua speak in these pages on behalf of all children in the world who are suffering and hurting. Someone has to speak up, and who is better suited than those who are forced to live this daily struggle for survival? In this book I give them their voice and let them tell their stories. On behalf of all those who suffer in similar or worse circumstances, I can only hope that the rest of us finally learn.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
About the Author
1 - About the Author: Raimund Johannes Wild was born in 1955 in Austria, Europe. He studied Mechanical engineering at the HTL-Steyr, one of the best European Technical Colleges. He took additional courses in Youth Psychology and strong emphasis on Humanistic sciences. R. J. Wild moved to Canada in 1976 and worked in engineering till 1980 in Montreal. From 1980 to 1985 R. J. Wild joined a personnel company and worked for 5 years on many international projects. These 3-5 month / project assignments exposed him to many countries and cultures. Such work assignments do hardly ever take place on beach and tourist locations. These assignments gave him a much deeper insight in local culture and customs as well awareness to the “Real-Politics” of a country. In 1985 R. J. Wild returned to Montreal, Canada where he then got married and began to raise family. During this time till to the publishing of “Tiny Eden” R. J. Wild also worked as a commercial Pilot and systems instructor. Again the flights he did were not regular passenger and airline routes. Again he was exposed to sights all over the globe rarely seen by others. Despite being a Mechanical Engineer and cold-hearted calculating Ex-Commercial Pilot, R. J. Wild has a much deeper side and has a keen eye for observing people and cultures way beyond what the normal visitor would do. He can quickly blend into a culture and people regardless the lack of language skills. Instead of “intruding” into people’s lives, R. J. Wild gets “invited” into their lives, as you can read in the documentary “Little Heroes”. As a Mechanical Engineer and a specialist in plastics manufacturing as well recycling, R. J. Wild is also a very “Green-conscious” person. He is definitely “Left-Leaning” and an atheist. As a pilot he also observed the destruction of our planet form 10,000ft above and has seen the scars man has made on this earth. R, J. Wild had begun writing at the age of 14 due to the encouragement of his Literature teacher Professor Erich Grandy. R.J. Wild mostly took his observations and experiences and wove them into a fictional story. The mentor ship relation with Prof. Grandy developed out of a coincidence. R. J. Wild and his class had to write an essay concerning “War” as the main topic. Although just 14 at that time, R. J. Wild wrote in his essay scenes of war as only an experienced soldier who has been in war could have written it. This ability to “feel” and “sense” the reality of life had Prof. Grandy so impressed that he began mentoring R. J. Wild on a daily basis in the skills of writing for the entire length of his 5-year studies at HTL-Steyr. In 1999 R. J. Wild self published his 1st Fiction Novel “Tiny Eden” - ISBN 0-9685674-0-1 under the Pen Name “Günter K. Heyes”. It sold well but was pulled from the market due to bad editing. The Book will soon again be available for print. “Little Heroes” is a documentary about the lives of 6 boys in the barrio and slums of Nigua, Dominican Republic. In essence it shows and tells the side of the story most books never touch. Instead of the dry: … “ 90% of children in the developing world live in conditions … etc.” reports, “Little Heroes” lets you feel what it is like to live under those conditions. R. J. Wild writes in a style similar to that of St. Exupery of “The Little Prince” fame. This style is much more pronounced in his “Tiny Eden” Series of 8 Books than it is in “Little Heroes”. The deep friendship with his editor Tim Graf ensures that all of R. J. Wild’s books retain the emotions he wishes to share about his experiences, as well ensure a well-edited work.