I think we are all guilty and all victims of stereotyping. Whether by appearance or other traits, such as race, religion to the mode of speech, residence, or country of origin. I know I am guilty of it.
I have the kind of complexion that people identify as Greek, Middle Eastern, Italian, and Latin American. I am originally from Mexico. Because of my height or sometimes because of my personality, people say, “Wow, you are so tall, I thought all Mexicans were short.” or “Wow, you are so outgoing; I thought Latin women were submissive.” Yes, I have heard that more than you can imagine.
I do not mind, especially at airports notorious for profiling, in the U.K., for example, after the Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. The explosion, caused by a terrorist bombing. It resulted in the deaths of all 259 passengers on board the Boeing 747 and 11 people on the ground.
When I get profiled, I thank the person trying to do their job for protecting us; I do not take it personally. I do not think I look like an evil person, but what is the appearance of “an evil person”?
In 1939, at the Brink of WWII, my grandfather Cesar Agustin Castillo, a biochemical engineer for Standard Oil of New Jersey, died with four other men on board a British Airways, LTD plane in Denmark. Hitler invaded Poland just two weeks later and set off what we now know as WWII.
Amongst the Dead was a German corporate lawyer, he had a glass eye, and amongst his belongings were his medals from WWI. Because of the brutal warfare and use of Bayonets, it was not unusual for WWI veterans to be missing an eye. During WWII, hollowed-out glass eyes were often used to transport microfilm, espionage. So understandably, Herr Beuß (Beuss) profiled as a potential, “evil guy” as Europe in August 1939 described in a letter written by Grandfather the previous night, and received by his father after his death, stated. “Europe smells of dynamite and is surely at the brink of war.” (I paraphrase as he wrote in Spanish.)
So, Herr Beuß was investigated thoroughly. But my grandfather, with a New York City address and a Mexican passport with no record as the veteran for any army, went unnoticed. To the point that he was referred to as Señor Castello or Casteilo as some of the few replacements for his actual name Castillo.
My grandfather was born in Mexico. At the age of 10, he was taken to Germany to receive a proper education in 1908. He remained there until the summer of 1914 when WWI broke out in Europe. His father, Victor Manuel Castillo, was in international diplomatic circles, a lawyer, and amongst his clients had Baron Von Krupp. You know the Krupp that in 1933 received the first order for 135 Panzer I tanks. During World War II, the Krupp made tanks, artillery, naval guns, armor plate, munitions, and other armaments for the German military.
My grandfather also attended as an undergrad Texas A&M University which until the early 1960s was a Military school and post-grad at Columbia University in NYC.
In 1939, he was stereotyped and deemed not a person of interest. In the 1990s and early 2000s, as I researched and received help from numerous brilliant people; who were well versed in the 1930s, I heard more than once the question. “Did your grandfather speak as many languages as you?” to which I honestly answered, “More, he was fluent in five languages, especially German.” After a pause, the same response; “You realize that you are most likely researching a spy?”
~
Death of a Sculptor in Hue, Shape and Color
by M.C.V. Egan
Genre: Suburban Women’s Fiction
Color-coded love stories and revealing female anatomies lead to the murder of world-renowned sculptor, Bruce Jones.
In life, the artist loved women, almost as much as women loved him. Adored for his art and colorful personality, Bruce is mourned by the world at large. The tale is launched with the multifaceted perspectives of four ex-wives, the current wife, and his new love interest and their children.
Mary, Bruce’s wealthy first love, is always in perfect pink; the color of love. Mother of Clair the famous actress and Aaron the corporate lawyer.
Leslie The Second’s color is yellow for her sunny nature as much as for her fears and insecurities. Her only son Bobby is vulnerable and lost. Mourning his father’s death, he finds himself.
Petra The Third, is outstanding in orange, representing not only her native Holland but also her love of the fruit. Cherished her freedom and had no children of her own.
Toni The Fourth is a vibrant passionate Italian red and part of the eventual glue that creates and solidifies this dysfunctional Jones family. Her teenage daughters Tina and Isa are as different as night and day.
Brooke The Fifth a gold-digger. Green, her color, reflects the color of money and envy. Her young son’s Kyle and Caleb are too young to understand why their world has been turned upside-down.
Mara, as blue as the ocean was the last woman to steal Bruce’s heart. Mother to newborn Baby Peter is the unexpected gift and surprise.
Bruce Jones’ eight children speak out, too. They are as distinctive as the women he loved, their mothers.
Loose ends are tied up by the insights of Sylvia, Aaron’s wife and a trusted keeper of secrets; Scott, the private investigator and family friend; Nona, the quintessential grandmother everyone loves but to whom few are truly related; and Detective Jim Miller who will not rest until he discovers Bruce Jones’ murderer.
A word, a single word defines a moment for Anne. She needs to find a new one when her spouse, Frank, leaves her at the age of forty-seven, coming out of the closet literally in a closet.
She finds herself back in her hometown of Skvallerby, Connecticut among her high school friends which she had left in her past.
An inheritance from a frenemy leaves her with the means to meddle and spy on the lives of mutual acquaintances.
In an attempt to run from her reality Anne becomes engrossed in a game of fun and flirtation with her friend and fellow sufferer Connie.
Their fun games turn into a deadly reality. It is no longer a game. Life, death and not even a defining word can stop the reality of manipulation.
On August 15th, 1939, an English passenger plane from British Airways Ltd. crashed in Danish waters between the towns of Nykøbing Falster and Vordingborg. There were five casualties reported and one survivor. Just two weeks before, Hitler invaded Poland. With the world at the brink of war, the manner in which this incident was investigated left much open to doubt. The jurisdiction battle between the two towns and the newly formed Danish secret police created an atmosphere of intrigue and distrust. The Bridge of Deaths is a love story and a mystery. Fictional characters travel through the world of past life regressions and information acquired from psychics as well as archives and historical sources to solve “one of those mysteries that never get solved.” Based on true events and real people, The Bridge of Deaths is the culmination of 18 years of sifting through conventional and unconventional sources in Denmark, England, Mexico and the United States. The story finds a way to help the reader feel that s/he is also sifting through data and forming their own conclusions. Cross The Bridge of Deaths into 1939, and dive into cold Danish waters to uncover the secrets of the G-AESY.
M.C.V. Egan is the pen name chosen by Maria Catalina Vergara Egan. Catalina is originally from Mexico City, Mexico. Catalina has lived in various countries and is fluent in four languages; Spanish, English, French and Swedish.
Her first book The Bridge of Deaths revolves around her maternal grandfather’s death in 1939. A true-life pre-WWII event. It has over 200 footnotes with the resources of her extensive search through Archival materials as well as the use of psychometry and past life regressions. It is more fact than fiction.
The revised edition of The Bridge of Deaths; A love Story and a Mystery focuses on the story-line as opposed to fact, but all footnotes and facts are available through the website for any curious minds. http://www.thebridgeofdeaths.com
Defined by Others taps into the dark quirky side found even in the best of people. With the 2012 American elections as a backdrop and the fearless reassurance that the world might end on December 12, 2012, as predicted by the Mayan Calendar.
Death of a Sculptor; in Hue, Shape, and Color is a novella written in sixteen different voices. It is a murder mystery. She is currently working on a sequel; Bruce (title subject to change).
M.C.V. Egan lives and works in South Florida. She loves cooking and crafting. She is married and has a son. Aside from writing Astrology is one of her passions and careers she pursues.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter
Author and illustrator of children's books, as well as clean adult fiction and nonfiction. Toi is a geek-girl blogger, vlogger, reviewer, and advocate for a healthy reading lifestyle. She finds comfort in faith, family, and creative expression. Toi believes in the dream of world harmony and hopes all your dreams come true.
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