The Coconut Latitudes

A father makes the fateful decision to leave a successful career in the US behind and move to an isolated beach in the Dominican Republic. He plants ten thousand coconut seedlings, transplants his wife and two young daughters to a small village, and declares they are the luckiest people alive.

In reality, the family is in the path of hurricanes and in the grip of a brutal dictator, Rafael Trujillöand the children are additionally under the thumb of an increasingly volatile and alcoholic father.

Set against a backdrop of shimmering palms and kaleidoscope sunsets, The Coconut Latitudes is Rita Gardner¿s compelling memoir of a childhood in paradise, a journey into unexpected misery, and a twisted path to redemption and truth.