Jacqueline Jorgensen's Beyond Mud and Vines depicts the dramatic details of her escape from the hills of Puerto Rico in 1947. She had been born with a thirst for knowledge but her parents insisted that school was not necessary for girls who would never be more than just wives and mothers. Refusing to work as a slave on the farm, under the cruel rules of her drunken parents, Jacqueline (Sabina) runs away at age twelve. Hoping to reach a city on the west end of the island, she runs alongside the river. The river wraps around the foot of several mountains, becoming Sabina's greatest challenge. It is nothing short of a miracle that she survives. Then, by perseverance and her ability to work, she makes a better life for herself. Some years later, she returns to the old farm and rescues her sisters and brothers from their enslavement.

Today, Jacqueline lives with her husband in California, where she raised her four children and attended college. After trying real estate and interior decorating, she found creative writing, which has been a challenge in a language other than her native Spanish. She has published two books — Beyond Mud and Vines and its sequel, Yearning to be American. Her next project is a third book in the series, Back to the Mud and Vines. Each book covers 20 years of her life. She is also working on a short story collection from the hills back home in Puerto Rico. Jacqueline also enjoys gardening, sewing, and embroidering handkerchiefs as gifts for relatives and friends.