What if the greatest inheritance a family carries isn’t land or money, but silence?

Mijo: We Bend, Not Break is an unforgettable novel about three generations of Mexican American men bound by distance, unspoken love, and the heavy weight of survival. From the cracked soil of Michoacán to the immigrant fields of California, it follows fathers and sons who mistake endurance for strength, until one shattering moment forces them to confront the question every family must face: how do we break the cycle before it breaks us?

Written by Francisco Castillo, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Navy veteran, and son of Mexican immigrants, this is not his story, but it is one he knows intimately. Castillo brings a rare blend of professional insight and cultural truth to the page, crafting a work of fiction that feels searingly real.

Lyrical, raw, and ultimately hopeful, Mijo: We Bend, Not Break speaks to anyone who has lived with generational silence or longed for repair. It’s a novel about trauma, tenderness, and the extraordinary strength it takes to bend without breaking.

Fans of Sandra Cisneros, Luis Alberto Urrea, Valeria Luiselli, and Ocean Vuong will find themselves profoundly moved.

This is a book that lingers, a story that heals, and a reminder that even the hardest soil can grow something new.