The Southern Pacific railroad tracks mark the northern boundary of the barrio and serve as the dramatic backdrop to the story of four pre-teen friends, a dead hobo, a racist cop, and a junkie, ex-con uncle. The novel’s title represents the railroad tracks that play a pivotal role in the story.

The twelve-year-old protagonist and narrator, Manuel Maldonado, Jr., is known to his Mexican-American barrio as Man-on-Fire for his red hair and the port-wine stain that is his birthmark.

Throughout the novel, “Man” and his boyhood friends are haunted by “the Turk,” a dirty cop who harasses the people of the barrio, and by the prospect of going to prison for killing  the hobo.

Complications develop when Man’s uncle Rudy comes home on parole from prison to an unwelcome reception from Man’s father, Rudy’s older brother.

Daniel Acosta, Gamma Nu (California State University – Los Angeles) 1969 was born in Monterey Park, California to Gustavo and Maria Acosta and grew up in the San Gabriel of the novel, living across the street from the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks until his teens. After grammar school at San Gabriel Mission School, he spent my high school years in the Catholic Dominguez Seminary in Compton, California. After seminary, he majored in English at California State University, Los Angeles, where he studied creative writing with Leon Surmelian. Acosta graduated from Cal State L.A. in 1969 and was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. Three years later, he began my 34 years teaching English at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California. He retired from teaching in 2007 to concentrate on his writing. My wife Linda and Acosta have four children and live in Rosemead, California. Iron River is a labor of love for his neighborhood and is his debut novel.

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The Guide to ADHD Coaching: How to Find an ADHD Coach and What to Do When You Get One
Alan R. Graham, PHD

Many people still don’t know what ADHD coaching is.  Through ADHD coaching, individuals impacted by ADHD develop new skills and strategies to better manage their lives; identify and work toward their life goals; and become more educated about how their ADHD affects their life. This book helps people know what to look for in an ADHD coach and helps them get started making their lives better even if they don’t engage a coach.

Alan R Graham, PhD, Alpha Tau (Franklin & Marshall College) 1971 is a highly regarded coach, consultant, educator, author and presenter. He has over three decades of experience helping leaders and their organizations navigate challenges and gain the perspective and tools they need to manage strategic and unique business issues. He has also brought these skills to the world of ADHD coaching. Alan trains coaches in assessment and coaching. He has served the chair of the steering committee for the American Psychological Association’s Psychology in the Workplace Network (PWN), an organization that coordinates the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program. Alan is also a Founding Fellow of the Institute of Coaching Professional Association, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. With Karlin Sloan, he has authored a book, Lemonade, The Leader’s Guide to Resilience at Work (2012) and created the Resilience at Work Assessment (RAW-A), an assessment that has been taken by over 2000 leaders worldwide. An internationally recognized expert in ADHD, Alan has helped many leaders become more productive and effective. He is the editor of the new book, The Guide to ADHD Coaching.