G.A. Gibson

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G.A. Gibson grew up in rural Kansas, working on farms and orchards from age twelve. After earning a degree from the University of Kansas, he worked in Venezuela’s oil fields before teaching in a predominantly Latino border city. His experiences inspired “The Courage to Live,” reflecting his empathy for migrant families.

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Top Rated

G. A. Gibson's "The Courage to Live" captivates readers with its heartfelt exploration of migrant struggles and human resilience.

Inspiring Storytelling

G.A. Gibson's authentic portrayal of migrant life and deep empathy for his characters have earned widespread praise.

Social Impact

"The Courage to Live" highlights the challenges of undocumented workers, making it a powerful voice for social justice.

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“The Courage to Live is a heartfelt exploration of resilience, shedding light on the struggles of migrant families and the strength it takes to overcome adversity.” – G.A. Gibson

Meet the Author

G.A. Gibson

G.A. Gibson grew up in a large family in rural Kansas, where he began working on farms and orchards at twelve. These early experiences gave him a deep appreciation for hard work and the struggles of those who labor in the fields. After graduating high school, he spent five years working various farm, ranch, and construction jobs across the Great Plains while attending the University of Kansas. Following his graduation, G.A. Gibson spent two years working in Venezuela oil fields of Lake Maracaibo, an experience that broadened his perspective on global labor and inequality.

For most of his professional life, G.A. Gibson has taught in a large border city where over eighty percent of the population is Latino. Over the years, he has taught thousands of Latino students, built lasting friendships, and developed a profound respect for those who risk everything to seek a better life. His experiences have fostered a deep empathy for migrant families, particularly the children who face the challenges of growing up too quickly in a complex and often harsh world.

He has written five computer-related textbooks, all were published by a major publisher and sold throughout the world. Two were translated into foreign languages. Also, he wrote the self-published book Energy and Us.

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About the Book

The Courage to live

“The Courage to Live” by G. A. Gibson is a fascinating and emotional novel that highlights the harsh realities of migrant labor, human trafficking, and the resilience of the human spirit. The story follows Elena, a young Mexican-American girl, as she is thrust into the brutal world of migrant work after her mother’s death. Forced to leave her sheltered life in El Paso, Elena endures backbreaking labor in fields and feedlots, only to be betrayed by her stepfather and sold into a human trafficking ring. The novel vividly portrays the exploitation of undocumented workers, particularly young women, and exposes the corruption that enables such crimes.

Through Elena’s journey, the book highlights themes of survival, loyalty, and the enduring hope for freedom. G.A. Gibson’s narrative is heart-wrenching and thought-provoking, shedding light on systemic injustices while celebrating the strength of those who endure. This novel is a powerful reminder of the resilience required to overcome hardship and the importance of fighting for justice in an unjust world.

The book is set against the backdrop of one of the world’s great injustices, the need for people to flee their homes to, at great personal risk, seek safety and a better life. Unfortunately, not all of them will realize their dreams. Some may fall ill or drown in the sea or die of thirst in the desert or in a boxcar or the back of a semi-trailer. For young women, particularly girls, this risk may not end even after they reach their destination. Human trafficking may take them to an unexpected destination and future, down a path of slavery, drugs and degradation. Our heroine is one of the few victims of such practice who escapes before the worst is realized. She lives to find happiness and retribution against her captor.

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BOOK

THE STRUGGLE

Explore a powerful story of resilience, survival, and hope as a young girl navigates the harsh realities of migrant life and human trafficking.

It is a story of courage

Infuriated, Rafael slapped her hard across the mouth. Teresa stepped back and grabbed the knife she had used to peel potatoes. 

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It is a story of tenderness

As the storm intensified, they huddled together in an attempt to shield themselves from the stinging bits of dirt and sand.

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It is a story of terror

The following Sunday, while Elena’s group of girls was having their turn on the beach, The girl started to run down the beach.

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THE TRIUMPH

It is a story of freedom

She didn’t get to the shack until well past midnight. Even though her body ached, and she was so tired she could no longer stand or even think

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It is a story of solitude

Elena loved her life on the beach, the swimming and diving through the waves, the playing in the surf, the long walks in and out of the water

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It is a story of compassion

One night in mid-September he awoke with a terrible scream. He was sweating profusely as he rolled over on one side. 

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THE JUSTICE

It is a story of personal conflict

Then there was an explosion of all her pent-up anger and fear and hate and sorrow. “REAPONSIBILITY! Don’t tell me about responsibility.

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It is a story of determination

That evening, she and Maria watched the national news, and she was embarrassed to see pictures of herself in the courtroom

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It is a story of exploitation

Mr. Yao’s organization isn’t the only one responsible for such a despicable practice, but it is the most meticulously planned and organized

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BOOK

Discover What's Inside the Book

Explore a powerful story of resilience, survival, and hope as a young girl navigates the harsh realities of migrant life and human trafficking.

Chapter 01

Elena’s life changes after her mother’s death, forcing her into the harsh world of migrant labor alongside her sister and stepfather.

Chapter 02

Elena leaves her sheltered life in El Paso, facing the grueling realities of farm work and the uncertainty of her future.

Chapter 03

Elena endures the backbreaking labor of harvesting crops, learning to adapt to the monotonous and exhausting life of a migrant worker.

Chapter 04

The FBI starts probing corruption in Caloway Beach, uncovering a network of human trafficking tied to the city’s powerful elites.

THE CHARACTERS

Elena

Our heroine, the young adolescent Latina whose hardships caused her to learn, at a young age, of the often unjust, real world, but has the courage to live and find happiness.

Teresa

Elena’s older sister, who is her protector and surrogate mother and who has become hardened and strong by working in the fields since she was ten.

Rafael

Elena’s selfish stepfather, who grew up as an orphaned street urchin stealing from tourists and street vendors, who felt he owed the world nothing.

Steve

The FBI special agent who headed the group of agents that brought to justice the complex criminal organization that controlled the fictional city of Caloway Beach.

Max

The man who managed the human trafficking for the organization, a man who is obsessed by greed and his power over others.

Thong

The old Vietnamese fisherman who twice saved Elena’s life and who loved her and treated her as his daughter.

Mrs. Nguyen

Elena’s school principal, who loved and admired her for her bravery and loyalty to the old fisherman.

Michael

Mrs. Nguyen’s son, who Elena sometimes babysat, and who sought the love from Elena for the love he craved from his busy parents.

Kelsey

Elena’s best friend, who, despite once being rich, had, like Elena, also experienced hardship and loneliness and had been faced with the possibility of dying.

Rosa

The gutsy prostitute, who knew it all in sordid detail and whose testimony, along with that of Elena’s, kept Max from ever again abusing young women.

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G.A. Gibson

G.A. Gibson, a teacher and former farmworker, draws from his experiences to craft powerful stories about resilience, migration, and the human spirit.

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It is a story of courage

Infuriated, Rafael slapped her hard across the mouth. Teresa stepped back and grabbed the knife she had used to peel potatoes. As Teresa waved the knife at him, blood began to run from her nose and upper lip. While they stood face to face threatening each other, Elena ran outside into the freezing cold. It was while she sat there looking up at the stars through a crystal-clear sky, that, despite her despair, a character she didn’t know existed within her began to emerge. She began to realize that, no matter how unfair the world could be, it was up to her to survive whatever life was to offer and make the best of it. She was determined to be more like Teresa and not cry, and do what Teresa had suggested while waiting to leave for Marfa that first day. Crying does no good, I have to be strong. I can’t just depend on Teresa. I have to learn to care for myself.

It is a story of tenderness

As the storm intensified, they huddled together in an attempt to shield themselves from the stinging bits of dirt and sand. They couldn’t see more than a hundred feet, so they closed their eyes and waited in the barren field….

When the boy began coughing and couldn’t stop, Elena pressed him close to her, pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, and placed it over the boy’s nose and mouth. “It’ll be all right, Pablo,” she said in a voice too low to be heard. He pressed against her side, and she felt him begin to shake.

“It’ll be all right, Pablocito,” she, this time, yelled over the howling wind. “The truck will have to come soon. No one can work in this storm.”

It is a story of terror

The following Sunday, while Elena’s group of girls was having their turn on the beach, The girl started to run down the beach. A guard ran after her and, when he caught her, he slapped her hard across the face. As she fell, she screamed repeatedly, “Shoot me, I want to die. Shoot me, I want to die.” The guard then grabbed her by the hair, pulled her to her feet and back to the group of terrified girls where he thew her down into the surf. She lay there, sobbing hysterically with the surf washing up around her. She then began whimpering as she got on her hands and knees and began to crawl toward the dunes. When she got to the dunes, her crying stopped and just lay there while the guards herded the horrified girls inside. Elena never saw her again.

It is a story of freedom

She didn’t get to the shack until well past midnight. Even though her body ached, and she was so tired she could no longer stand or even think, she was too euphoric to sleep. Instead, she lay there watching the light of the moon streaming through the window trace a path across the floor and wall, sometimes dim, sometimes bright, sometimes no light at all, as clouds drifted across the moon. That horrid building was gone, only the bitter memories of constantly being afraid lingered. No more Rafael, no more Brute, no more Max; she had command of her life at last.

It is a story of solitude

Elena loved her life on the beach, the swimming and diving through the waves, the playing in the surf, the long walks in and out of the water as it rushed up on the sand and then receded, the games with Thong, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the sound of the breakers at night, the smell of the sea air and the sea breeze blowing in her face, but what she liked most was the solitude and the chance to dream.

It is a story of compassion

One night in mid-September he awoke with a terrible scream. He was sweating profusely as he rolled over on one side. His chest heaved and he seemed desperate to suck more air into his lungs. He lay there, half asleep, whimpering and moaning. Elena, who had been in a sound sleep, awoke with a start. She was disoriented and it took her a few seconds to realize where she was and what was happening. She crawled over to him and pulled his head into her lap. He began sobbing and mumbling in Vietnamese. “It’s all right, Tom. It’s all right,” she kept saying over and over as she stroked his hair. Gradually, his crying subsided and he sat up, still breathing deeply. “What’s the matter, Tom?” she asked. “Why do you have these awful nightmares?” Thong said nothing. After a while he got up and walked out to the beach. Elena sat there, helpless. He was a prisoner of his terrible dreams, and she wanted so much to do something to help him, but could do nothing.

It is a story of personal conflict

Then there was an explosion of all her pent-up anger and fear and hate and sorrow. “REAPONSIBILITY! Don’t tell me about responsibility. Tell it to the grown-ups who had me work in the fields and sold me and took away my freedom and tried to kill me and stole my childhood and those who looked away. Especially the police who were paid to protect young children like me. Tell it to the men who made drug addicts of girls and young women and then sold them on the streets and in fancy hotels and cause some to want to die instead of live and the men who worked young mothers to death. Tell it” She stopped abruptly, and her lips quivered. “I hate this world. I want a world where I can just walk the beach in peace.” Her forearms shook as she gripped the arms of her chair and tried to regain her composure. The words had come involuntarily, easy and fast. The agents sat in silence, letting her get it out of her system. Mrs.  Nguyen was stunned and worried. Is this the same shy little girl who had almost fainted when she tried to register herself just eight months earlier?

It is a story of determination

That evening, she and Maria watched the national news, and she was embarrassed to see pictures of herself in the courtroom and in the SUV leaving the parking garage. She was afraid of her notoriety. A strange feeling came over her. The fears she had while working at the feedlot returned and she wanted to shrink back into a corner. I didn’t ask to be a celebrity, all I ever wanted was to live in peace. She quit watching and walked out on the terrace. The rain had stopped and the sky had more or less cleared. The sun was behind a large cloud, but its rays streamed around the cloud’s edges, giving it a bright silver lining. She lay down on a lounge and soon dozed off. She awoke just in time to see the sun go down behind the Houston skyline.

It is a story of exploitation

Mr. Yao’s organization isn’t the only one responsible for such a despicable practice, but it is the most meticulously planned and organized such operation, an operation that requires a vast, complex infrastructure that includes drugs, gambling, prostitution and other enticements to its potential customers, who are ultimately the ones that make such an operation possible. It may be true that some women may choose to trade their bodies for easy money, but, as we have seen, this is often not the case and is certainly not the case for those girls who have been bought or kidnapped by the man sitting over there.