(At the country's edge, on the Mexican border, Brownsville, Texas, is a town much like many others. It is a place where men and women work hard to create better lives for their children, where people sometimes bear grudges against their neighbors, where love blossoms only to fade, and where the only real certainty is that life holds surprises.

An entire galaxy of fascinating characters inhabit these stories. Meet Diego, an 11-year-old whose job at a fireworks stand teaches him a lesson in defiance. Meet Bony, a slacker whose discovery of a monkey's head on his lawn drives a wedge between him and his exasperated parents. Meet Lola, whose stolen bowling ball offers an unlikely chance for change.

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