A coming-of-age prequel to "Some Rivers End on the Day of the Dead," we follow the struggle of Carmen Principia to achieve her dreams, despite her impoverished beginnings as the Pinata-Maker's daughter in San Ysidro, California. She has a college degree in mind; her mother wants her to hone her skills in what else? pinata-making Add relationships with men and a challenging roommate. The results are an emotional, sometimes comic, adventure in learning about the real world beyond the ivory tower of the U.