Success-it's something everyone hopes for but few have the fortitude and endurance necessary to achieve it, especially when confronted by one adversity after another. Lupe Cordoba knows that hard work and determination are the traits necessary to achieve success, and she used these strong personal qualities to rise to her position as a nationally acclaimed restaurateur. Cordoba seemed to encounter nothing but hardships and obstacles throughout her life, and in La Morenita: The Story of Lupe Cordoba, she candidly illustrates how her life developed from an idyllic childhood in a small Mexican town to the collapse of her marriage after succeeding in reaching America with her three small children. Perseverance and clever thinking carried Cordoba from the plight of sleeping in her car to opening her first restaurant to preparing hors d'oeuvres for a party for President Clinton. While conveying her talent for balancing romance, motherhood, and business in her life, Cordoba offers frank advice for others in her position and presents intimate portraits of her family and friends and the lives they endured to reach their current plateau. La Morenita delivers the compelling story of one woman who has overcome all odds to build a life according to her terms. It will speak to all women in its message of what is possible in life and will touch readers with its inspirational themes and positive tone. La Morenita presents a candid portrait of the rocky road to achieving the American dream.