When a young carpenter and painter, Rudolfo Garcia, unknowingly kills a man in Baja, his hopes quickly spiral into fear, which prompts him to cross the border into the United States. Loss turns to fulfillment when he meets an aspiring young journalist in Washington, D.C., who recognizes his artistic talents. But the paradox of their friendship--her visible world exposes his life as an undocumented immigrant--challenges each of them, and raises universal questions about what it means 'to belong' and have a home.
","abstract_html":"<p>When a young carpenter and painter, Rudolfo Garcia, unknowingly kills a man in Baja, his hopes quickly spiral into fear, which prompts him to cross the border into the United States. Loss turns to fulfillment when he meets an aspiring young journalist in Washington, D.C., who recognizes his artistic talents. But the paradox of their friendship--her visible world exposes his life as an undocumented immigrant--challenges each of them, and raises universal questions about what it means 'to belong' and have a home.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Lopez Snyder, Lisa"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.F.A.","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literatures","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Elise Blackwell"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2012,"date_issued":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2012-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:38:37Z","subjects":["Arts and Humanities","Creative Writing"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2012, Lisa Lopez Snyder"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/849","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Elise Blackwell"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Lopez Snyder, Lisa"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literatures"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.F.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Arts and Humanities","Creative Writing"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2012, Lisa Lopez Snyder"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/849"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["When a young carpenter and painter, Rudolfo Garcia, unknowingly kills a man in Baja, his hopes quickly spiral into fear, which prompts him to cross the border into the United States. Loss turns to fulfillment when he meets an aspiring young journalist in Washington, D.C., who recognizes his artistic talents. But the paradox of their friendship--her visible world exposes his life as an undocumented immigrant--challenges each of them, and raises universal questions about what it means 'to belong' and have a home.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Dreams of Years Like Stones"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Elise Blackwell"],"dc:creator":["Lopez Snyder, Lisa"],"dc:description.abstract":["When a young carpenter and painter, Rudolfo Garcia, unknowingly kills a man in Baja, his hopes quickly spiral into fear, which prompts him to cross the border into the United States. Loss turns to fulfillment when he meets an aspiring young journalist in Washington, D.C., who recognizes his artistic talents. But the paradox of their friendship--her visible world exposes his life as an undocumented immigrant--challenges each of them, and raises universal questions about what it means 'to belong' and have a home.
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