Magic runs in Contreras' family. Raised in the 80s when Columbia was plagued by political unrest, Contreras brings the readers through the stories of her maternal grandfather, a renowned curandero blessed with the power to talk to the dead, tell the future, and treat the sick. But troubles befall the Contreras after her grandfather's death and her mother's inheritance of "the secrets," a taboo in a time when women were stripped of their potential.

In this deeply intimate and profoundly moving memoir, Contreras traces her family history by examining what we knowingly and unknowingly inherit, how loss and curses repeat themselves through generations, and the power to reclaim the connection to one's indigenous lineage. Beautifully written, CLOUDS is a multi-layered and multi-generational memoir that blends history, myth, and personal experience in a remarkable narrative.

My favorite quote from CLOUDS is, "When power is used to oppress, it deserves to be mocked."

THE INHERITANCE OF ORQUÍDEA DIVINA (Zoraida Córdova) makes a phenomenal companion fictional read that similarly explores generational trauma and family secrets.