Margaret Donnelly

Margaret A. Donnelly (born February 26, 1949, in San Tomé, Venezuela) is an American-Venezuelan writer, lawyer and activist. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Donnelly ran for mayor of Dallas, Texas, in 1999.[1] In 2006, she was awarded the Presidential Community Service Medal by the League of United Latin American Citizens of the United States (LULAC), in recognition for her community work. She has been member of the State Bar of Texas since 1976. Her novel, The Song of the Goldencocks, won an honorable mention in the historical fiction category at the 9th Annual International Latino Book Awards in New York City in 2007.[2]

Trump, Tamales and the American Family (2020) Margaret's first non-fiction book. The book proposes that it's time to smash our culture of fear and follow the example of our World War II Greatest Generation, who built economies, exporting peace and prosperity throughout the world. Donnelly also suggests that we should invest in our American family--a family tree with roots and branches that stretch from the top of North America to the bottom of South America. It's time to join each other in a metaphorical kitchen, sharing resources and labor to produce a sacred meal, tamales, together, just as extended families of the Americas have been doing for ten thousand years.

Bolivar's Heart (2015), her most recent novel, investigates Simón Bolívar's last wish while sharing a hidden world of human trafficking and indigenous oppression. Bolivar's heart, allegedly separated from his body during an autopsy, has been the focus of many folk tales. While most of these stories have never been welldocumented, they inspire millions in Venezuela, Colombia, Perú, Bolivia, and Ecuador all of whom look to Bolívar as their “father and protector.” This historical novel seeks to find the truth of what really happened to Bolívar's heart as it follows Isabel Condorcanqui, who attempts to kill herself as soon as a unit of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement surrounds the house where she's being held by Mexican smugglers. Isabel ends up in the psychiatric ward of a Dallas hospital after making manic accusations against authorities far removed from the scene, both chronologically and geographically. Peruvian officials, she says, had kidnapped her. Gloria García, a licensed attorney in Texas, and her boss, David Levin, must sort through her story to find out who Isabel really is as they try to save her from being deported back to Perú As a passionate advocate of global education, author Margaret Donnelly taps into the Quechua version of what happened to Bolívar's heart in this thrilling story that weaves history with humanitarian, economic, and political issues of today.

The Path of Lord Jaguar (2011). A sacred altar dedicated to Lord Jaguar in Chichen Itza protects the people of the Americas. According to the ancients, Lord Jaguar protects the path of life, or kuxan sum, so that the hemisphere will survive cataclysms that will soon befall the earth. Only a few are aware that the path gives instructions to those who will listen. In a dream, Pablo Balam is told that he must strengthen the path. To complete this task, he must build nine gardens that represent the nine Maya Underworlds in the fabulously wealthy estate for which he works. He's helped by Kemi. Not only do they share an intense physical connection, they also share a spiritual relationship grounded on their ancient religions. He's a Maya prayer man. She's a Nigerian priestess. Together, they must build the ninth garden before 2012 to repair the road that leads to the salvation of millions of people. Their quest, however, pushes them into a confrontation with evil that must be conquered at all cost.

The Song of the Goldencocks (2006). After the end of World War II, high-ranking Nazi officials escaped Europe with the help of Argentina's Juan Domingo Peron in order to avoid the Nuremberg trials. While carting loot they stole from Holocaust victims, the officials spread their ruthless military tactics among Latin American paramilitary units, resulting in hundreds of thousands of kidnappings and deaths over the years. Forty-four years later, Ivan Trushenko, a young and naïve Venezuelan with a consuming passion for Cuban Communism, uncovers a long- hidden history when he mistakenly becomes involved with suspected Nazi war criminals. Accused of providing a false identity to a war criminal, Trushenko is interrogated under the harshest of circumstances and, after hours of torture, finally reveals a dark secret. When Matt Sheridan, a United States operative introduces Trushenko’s case to Alex Barclay, a popular army general known as the Goldencock, he is intrigued. Soon Barclay discovers an unexpected alliance between both left and right extremists who are hell-bent on achieving one goal—to monopolize Venezuela's oil-rich economy. Now the Goldencocks, true fighters who have already earned the respect of their community, are in a race against time in order to capture these criminals before they can overthrow the country.

The Spirits of Venezuela (2005), signals the end of an age of taboos imposed in Venezuela by the Spanish Conquest and it opens the door to a new view of how Venezuelans interact with the practical wisdom of their ancestors. The author's account invites the reader to understand this hidden tradition from a broader and deeper perspective by sharing the real life experiences of hundreds of Venezuelans. Her story flows through her personal discovery of this world in which present-day Venezuelans serve as authors of a tradition that continues to honor the magic of the landscape, the power of its spirits, and the tenacity of its popular healers.


Books
  • The Spirits of Venezuela - (2005)
  • The Song of the Goldencocks - (2006)
  • The Path of Lord Jaguar - (2011)
  • Bolivar's Heart - (2015)
  • Trump, Tamales and the American Family - (2020)
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References
  1. "Dallas, San Antonio Mayors Reelected". www.latimes.com. 2 May 1997. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  2. "Book Expo America and the Latino Book Awards". www.jacketflap.com. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
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