1-Maria Celeste explains how in 1987 her boss sent her to cover the Soviet Union, they just didn't have the government's permission to travel inside the country. What did they do, then? They sent a letter and when that didn't work; they sent another one flattering the government to change their minds. Her persistence let her in and she did a one-hour special titled A Puerto Rican in Moscow.
After her explanation in the book I now want to watch it.
2-Another of my favorite parts from the book took place when she was covering the Mexican- American border crisis and she got exclusive footage of a hydraulic pool table that covered the mouth of the tunnel that connected Mexico with the U.S. Her cameraman and she were held hostage after recording it; yet, Maria Celeste had the vision to throw one of the tapes to the other side of a fence and as they were escaping the guys, they stopped, rescued the tape and had the exclusive.
3-The advice Maria Celeste's mom gave her: "When in turbulent waters, don't rock the boat!"
4-The way she describes how she adopted her one year old Russian son, whose nervous system was stunted for lack of human contact and for whom being caressed was like torture. The one year old had never seemed the sunlight and they had to brush his entire body to stimulate his sensory nerves. That whole chapter moved me to my bones. It has the most beautiful ending with the gift Maria Celeste gives him for his 5 year birthday! It probably is my favorite part of the book. The author states about her adopted son: "I thought I was doing something amazing for him, and it is he who has done something amazing for me" (131)
5-The part in which she explains how she left Univision and the reasons why she did. It was interesting to learn about the world of agents, contracts, intermediaries and protecting the rights to her book Selena's secret.
6-Her incredible personal challenges that include the baby sitter who hit her baby and she only discovered it after installing a secret camera and the shocking discovery of having her assistant stealing from her credit card thousands of dollars as she was doing her show live.
7-What she learned about her mother's recurrent mistakes in relationships and the theme of dropping everything for love and then being left with nothing. This is a point well-made and showed in the book with life experiences that illustrate it. This is a topic we all can relate to 'cuz I am sure we all have a relative who has done, or is still doing that.
8-Her strength when dealing with her husband's infidelity and the whole episode of the other woman, the kids, the ex's family, the honest pain and the eventual recovery.
9-The amazing story about Don Pachico in San Ignacio Lagoon, in Baja California. I agree one hundred percent with Maria Celeste when she states: "Regular people are usually more interesting. They are not guarded like manufactured celebrities. They speak openly without having first to consult their public relations team and they usually have better stories to tell." (215-6) After reading about Don Pachico not only do I want to meet him but I consider him a special celebrity, one that makes permanent impact.
10-Lastly, I loved the book because of its closing lines: "At the end of your voyage, what really matters is to be at peace with yourself." (245)
