Each week we feature a book written by a member of the Incubator.

This week:
Finding Francis

Who: Cristina T. Lopez
Incubator City: New York
What: A paean to the power of the pen
Why: Beat your book club to it

Six-year-old Cristina is the only guest to show up at her friend Francis’ birthday party. Twenty years later this talented but typically confused twenty-something endeavors to understand why, and what happened to Francis, whom she never saw again after that day.

Finding Francis is a funny and richly detailed chronicle of Cristina’s search for answers. Relying on wit and candor, she recounts raucous college days, job hunts, life in a condemned apartment, and the singular antics of her offbeat Cuban family. Each experience is a step closer not only to finding her old classmate but also to developing a stronger sense of self-worth and accomplishment. After reading this book you’ll realize, as does Cristina, that childhood memories, though invariably skewed by youth’s limited perspective, nonetheless profoundly influence the adults we become.