{"id":1113,"date":"2016-07-30T17:19:59","date_gmt":"2016-07-30T23:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/?page_id=1113"},"modified":"2020-07-23T14:43:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T20:43:18","slug":"marianos-choice","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/?page_id=1113","title":{"rendered":"Mariano&#8217;s Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='full_slider_1'  class='avia-fullwidth-slider main_color avia-shadow   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div  class='avia-slideshow av-av_slideshow_full-32de997090c749a8c82b86d1ff824dd4 avia-slideshow-featured av_slideshow_full avia-slide-slider av-slideshow-ui av-control-default av-slideshow-manual av-loop-once av-loop-manual-endless av-default-height-applied   avia-slideshow-1' data-slideshow-options=\"{&quot;animation&quot;:&quot;slide&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:false,&quot;loop_autoplay&quot;:&quot;once&quot;,&quot;interval&quot;:5,&quot;loop_manual&quot;:&quot;manual-endless&quot;,&quot;autoplay_stopper&quot;:false,&quot;noNavigation&quot;:false,&quot;bg_slider&quot;:false,&quot;keep_padding&quot;:false,&quot;hoverpause&quot;:false,&quot;show_slide_delay&quot;:0}\"  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 28.666666666667%;'><li  class='avia-slideshow-slide av-av_slideshow_full-32de997090c749a8c82b86d1ff824dd4__0  av-single-slide slide-1 slide-odd'><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"wp-image-1230 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-1230\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430.png\" width=\"1500\" height=\"430\" title='storm_rider1500x430' alt='Cowboy riding against stormy sky'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430-300x86.png 300w, https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430-768x220.png 768w, https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430-1024x294.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430-705x202.png 705w, https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/storm_rider1500x430-450x129.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right'  ><div class='container av-section-cont-open' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1113'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-16e6ca0cf70e06b84e3d1d0f8b928a70\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-16e6ca0cf70e06b84e3d1d0f8b928a70{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-16e6ca0cf70e06b84e3d1d0f8b928a70 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-16e6ca0cf70e06b84e3d1d0f8b928a70 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-16e6ca0cf70e06b84e3d1d0f8b928a70 av-special-heading-h1  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_slideshow_full  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Mariano\u2019s Choice<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1076\" src=\"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/choice_cover.png\" alt=\"Mariano's Choice\" width=\"150\" height=\"225\" \/>When young Mariano Medina witnesses a vicious attack on a girl he adores, he flees in\u00a0inexplicable terror. Fifteen years later, as a grown man training horses along the Oregon\u00a0Trail, he has a chance to redeem his youthful act of cowardice.\u00a0\u00a0 Another woman, whose\u00a0mysterious \u201cghost stare\u201d exerts a powerful attraction, is captured by a band of Ute\u00a0raiders.\u00a0 To help her he must overcome his cowardly urge to flee.\u00a0 If he succeeds, he\u00a0faces another painful dilemma:\u00a0 Betray the woman\u2019s likeable husband and his own sense\u00a0of honor by asking her to leave with him, or travel on without her.\u00a0 That choice, in turn,\u00a0leads Medina back to the land of his childhood, where he must confront his darkest fears\u00a0and uncover the hidden source of his panic in the ghostly stare that haunts his dreams.<\/p>\n<p>This is the story of a man&#8217;s quest for courage, respect and love in an unforgiving land. \u00a0Based on real characters who lived on the frontier during the lead up to America\u2019s 1846\u00a0war with Mexico, David M. Jessup has woven a spellbinding prequel to his prize-winning\u00a0first novel, Mariano\u2019s Crossing.<\/p>\n<p>Mariano&#8217;s Choice will be available for purchase in September 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c av_one_third  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_one_third  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><div  class='avia-button-wrap av-av_button-c43b4b8e7d228f429b2eb935ec2248d8-wrap avia-button-center  avia-builder-el-4  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><a href='https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/?page_id=1134'  class='avia-button av-av_button-c43b4b8e7d228f429b2eb935ec2248d8 av-link-btn avia-icon_select-no avia-size-large avia-position-center avia-color-theme-color'   aria-label=\"Read an excerpt\"><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Read an excerpt<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_third  el_before_av_one_third  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><div  class='avia-button-wrap av-av_button-6b3d1726c7a8e7d171de96ddbff25fd8-wrap avia-button-center  avia-builder-el-6  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><a href='https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/?page_id=1108'  class='avia-button av-av_button-6b3d1726c7a8e7d171de96ddbff25fd8 av-link-btn avia-icon_select-no avia-size-large avia-position-center avia-color-theme-color'   aria-label=\"Order your autographed copy\"><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Order your autographed copy<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_third-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_third-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_third-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_one_third  el_before_av_hr  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-0688d0b0b6ed2f8b057db7a8270206df\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-0688d0b0b6ed2f8b057db7a8270206df{\nheight:50px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-0688d0b0b6ed2f8b057db7a8270206df hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_one_third  el_before_av_heading '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-991cb8895bac5c7366f49b54c40f2853\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-991cb8895bac5c7366f49b54c40f2853{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-991cb8895bac5c7366f49b54c40f2853 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-991cb8895bac5c7366f49b54c40f2853 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-991cb8895bac5c7366f49b54c40f2853 av-special-heading-h3  avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_testimonials '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Early praise for Mariano\u2019s Choice<\/h3><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  class='avia-testimonial-wrapper av-av_testimonials-910751859a1d31f28830dbdbc547a3d1 avia-grid-testimonials avia-grid-2-testimonials avia_animate_when_almost_visible' >\n<section class=\"avia-testimonial-row\"><div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-b657511ec5e33e026b8af2a1c06890d2 avia-testimonial-row-1 avia-first-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>Mariano\u2019s Choice isn\u2019t your typical Western. And Mariano Medina isn\u2019t your typical Western\u00a0hero. Rather than fearless and invincible, he is timid, often uncertain, and occasionally\u00a0cowardly. Medina and other historical Westerners serve author David Jessup well as he spins a\u00a0gritty, sometimes painful tale of an ordinary man facing unwelcome change as the fur trade era\u00a0gives way to immigrant wagons and the United States seeks increasing influence on the\u00a0Mexican frontier. This book reveals the Old West through the eyes of a regular frontiersman\u00a0and the result is a richer, more realistic interpretation than the overwrought, myth-driven view\u00a0we see in so many Western novels.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Rod Miller, three-time winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-53c77f92a4dcbbf45806b8aad9a878b8 avia-testimonial-row-1 avia-last-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>Jessup is a master historian and writer\u2014and this gorgeous novel proves it. What mesmerizes most is the depth of understanding and love of the West, which therefore includes the untold\u00a0stories, the filling-in of an incomplete history.\u00a0 In Mariano\u2019s Choice, we discover the peoples\u00a0who are often minimalized by mainstream historical fiction but which are essential to an\u00a0understanding and love of the real and varied West. In vivid and gorgeous prose, we encounter\u00a0the world of the late 1800s and the men and women who literally shaped the West. We also\u00a0find a tale of love and the power of redemption. History, place, love, forgiveness, healing: this\u00a0book has it all. I loved it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Laura Pritchett, winner of the PEN USA Award for Fiction, author, Hell\u2019s Bottom Colorado<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class=\"avia-testimonial-row\"><div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-9d17ef78000921de244a205051ab31b3 avia-testimonial-row-2 avia-first-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>Mariano&#8217;s Choice continues the\u00a0saga of Mariano Medina, a man both ordinary and\u00a0extraordinary.\u00a0 Author David Jessup&#8217;s fluid, compelling prose takes the reader\u00a0back to another\u00a0time, to share Medina&#8217;s\u00a0adventures and adversities.\u00a0 I hope someone has the\u00a0sense to produce\u00a0this as a\u00a0mini-series.\u00a0 It&#8217;s too rich and complex to fit into a two-hour movie.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Lucia St. Clair Robson is a New York Times best selling author of Ride the Wind, which was included in the 100 best westerns of the 20 th Century, and winner of the Spur Award and Owen Wister award of the Western Writers of America.<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-08583d263ccd020ccbde3b4c4dc5b056 avia-testimonial-row-2 avia-last-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>What strikes me first about Mariano\u2019s Choice is David Jessup\u2019s writing. Elegant isn\u2019t a word one\u00a0would usually associate with a novel of the 1800s, yet that\u2019s the word that comes to mind.\u00a0Next, I\u2019m taken by the pace of the story, and the authenticity of the characters. It moves, and\u00a0they\u2019re so believable. Finally, the plot is riveting. The historical basis just adds to it. If Mariano\u2019s\u00a0Crossing was an award-winning first effort, Mariano\u2019s Choice \u2013 the prequel \u2013 should join it on\u00a0the judges\u2019 stand.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Denny Dressman, author of eight books and President of the Colorado Authors\u2019 League<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class=\"avia-testimonial-row\"><div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-e9f9b78d30d096f6d02171b58cf4083e avia-testimonial-row-3 avia-first-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>In Mariano\u2019s Choice, David Jessup weaves a tale of one man\u2019s regrets and eventual redemption.\u00a0Mariano Medina, a real-life settler in mid-1800s Colorado, makes a number of choices in his life\u00a0that he deeply regrets and that cause him much shame. Events in his life offer him chances to\u00a0prove to himself and others that he does have the courage and the resources to \u201cdo the right\u00a0thing,\u201d enabling him to redeem himself in the end.\u00a0Jessup\u2019s depiction of the Colorado frontier and Medina\u2019s life pulls the reader in and won\u2019t let\u00a0go. From descriptions of breaking horses to episodes highlighting the blatant bigotry towards\u00a0women, Hispanics, and Native Americans that was the norm of the time, Mariano\u2019s Choice\u00a0offers a no-holds- barred look at frontier Colorado. One can almost smell the sagebrush.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >--Teresa Louis, author of In the Herbary<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-fbf0db798efbea9960ed84dc41bb2cb4 avia-testimonial-row-3 avia-last-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>David M. Jessup adds flesh and blood to the bones of one of the West\u2019s legendary mountain men.\u00a0 Mariano Medina has not one choice, but many, as he stands up to violence and prejudice\u2014and to his own cowardice.\u00a0 He must choose between fear and friendship, safety and honor, and loyalty and love in this tightly wound novel of the Old West.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Sandra Dallas<\/strong><span  class='avia-testimonial-subtitle '  itemprop=\"jobTitle\" >NY Times Bestselling Author of Tallgrass and other historical novels<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<section class=\"avia-testimonial-row\"><div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-a4a30d8564272d95964089e9c5e38583 avia-testimonial-row-4 avia-first-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em>Mariano\u2019s Choice<\/em> is one of those rare, wonderful books that sticks in the mind and heart long after you\u2019ve read the last page. The story, masterfully paced and filled with fascinating historic details, offers an intriguing snapshot of the West through the eyes of characters largely ignored by mainstream fiction: fur traders, Indian captives, dislocated Spanish settlers, horse trainers and trail blazers. The underlying themes of honor, compassion, revenge, and the power of love and friendship, transcend sedtting and genre. The book shines brightly because of a vulnerable, wily, complicated Spanish Mountain Man&#8212;one of the most interesting protagonists I\u2019ve encountered in a long time.\u00a0 Highly recommended<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Anne Hillerman<\/strong><span  class='avia-testimonial-subtitle '  itemprop=\"jobTitle\" >New York Times Bestselling author of Spider Woman\u2019s Daughter<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class='avia-testimonial av-av_testimonial_single-3ba7e7e4f88e06fba331d37be49f93af avia-testimonial-row-4 avia-last-testimonial flex_column no_margin av_one_half'><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-content '><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em>Mariano\u2019s Choice<\/em> is a bold story about the west as it existed before the Western, a story about a raw land populated by rugged folk, men and women, native and immigrant, living alone and in community. Jessup\u2019s cinematic eye for detail and his gift for gut-wrenching, heart-pounding storytelling pulls us seamlessly into a world of danger, beauty, and unbounded possibility\u2014for success and failure, for betrayal and redemption, for love and hate, and for life and death.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-testimonial-meta\"><div class=\"avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap\"><div class=\"avia-arrow\"><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><strong  class='avia-testimonial-name'  itemprop=\"name\" >Gary Schanbacher<\/strong><span  class='avia-testimonial-subtitle '  itemprop=\"jobTitle\" >Author of Crossing Purgatory, winner of the Langum Award for American Historical Fiction<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-55ca0e20f2af8e30bdb068153a9ffc40\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-55ca0e20f2af8e30bdb068153a9ffc40{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-55ca0e20f2af8e30bdb068153a9ffc40 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-55ca0e20f2af8e30bdb068153a9ffc40 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-55ca0e20f2af8e30bdb068153a9ffc40 av-special-heading-h3  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_testimonials  el_before_av_textblock '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Discussion questions<\/h3><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-0366cc7376be6c9e82a3e9cc8987b64f '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>1. Historical fiction sometimes suffers when authors dwell too much on historical fact at the expense of a good story. On the other hand, fiction can sometimes veer too far away from the facts. What kind of balance between fact and fiction do you find in Marino\u2019s Choice?<\/p>\n<p>2. What are the main goals Mariano Medina is striving to attain? What motivations&#8211; both conscious and unconscious&#8211; fuel his efforts to continue the struggle toward these goals?<\/p>\n<p>3. What happens to Mariano when he becomes discouraged and loses hope?<\/p>\n<p>4. What are the sources of Medina\u2019s attraction to Tak\u00e1nsy?<\/p>\n<p>5. What are the central dilemmas faced by Mariano Medina? What values influence the choices that he makes? How does the past influence his choices?<\/p>\n<p>6. What is your favorite scene in the book, and why? What major emotion does the scene evoke in you as a reader?<\/p>\n<p>7. How do both Mariano\u2019s body memory and his mind help Mariano cope with early childhood trauma? How do they hinder him?<\/p>\n<p>8. What parallels and differences exist between the period leading up to the 1846 U.S. war with Mexico and current border issues?<\/p>\n<p>9. What did you learn about the time period in which this story unfolds? What surprised you about Fort Bridger, El Pueblo and Taos that you didn\u2019t know before?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1113","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1113"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3140,"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1113\/revisions\/3140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.davidmjessup.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}