I Want to Buy a Vowel A Novel of Illegal Alienation

Aside from phrases like " I want to buy a vowel," Alfredo's English is very limited. But with his new job at a restaurant, this Guatemalan immigrant is learning to speak Chinese. And when rumors of satanic activity spark hysteria in town-and the innocent Alfredo finds himself being threatened with deportation-he also begins to learn that his rich and glittering adopted country has a dark side, too. Written by the celebrated author described by The Seattle Times as "a guy who is wildly imaginative or strange or both," This book is both a touching novel of the immigrant experience-and a satire that hits the jackpot.