Jacqueline Jorgensen is an exciting new Latina-American writer. She has already published two books — Beyond Mud and Vines and its sequel, Yearning to be American.

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Jorgensen's writing is infused with the determination of a young girl named Sabina to survive against all odds. Her first book, Beyond Mud and Vines, depicts the dramatic details of Sabina's escape in 1947 from her brutal upbringing in the hills of Puerto Rico. Born with a thirst for knowledge, she can not live under her parents' rules and restrictions. "Schooling is not for girls," her parents insist, "all they will ever be is wives and mothers."

Sabina runs away at age twelve after her drunken father threatens to cut her throat with his sharp machete. She has suffered through twelve years of abuse, and running away is her only chance to live a better life. She follows the river through the jungle and around several mountains. When she gets sucked into the river's floor by a whirlpool, it is nothing less than a miracle how she makes her way out. Three days later, after sliding in the mud, tripping over the vines, and sleeping up in the trees, she finally arrives at a city on the western end of the island.

The story of Sabina is riveting, heartwarming, and inspirational. By her perseverance and hard work, she finds new parents and makes a better life for herself. ...Yet she goes back to the old family farm four years later and rescues her seven sisters and brothers from their enslavement.

Today, Jacqueline lives with her husband in California, where she raised her four children and attended college. Her next project is a third book in the series, to be called Back to the Mud and Vines. Each book covers 20 years of her fascinating and challenging life. She is also working on a short story collection from the hills back home in Puerto Rico.