About the Novel:

Salavandra is an isolated Caribbean island. Its products (coffee, lumber and flowers) are controlled by Penkava Inc., a New York based multinational commodity corporation. After discovering that Penkava is responsible for his father's death, as well as the abysmal working conditions on the island, coffee farmer Antonio Richards ignites a revolution in the midst of a harvest season. Branding his infant insurgency The United Front for the Liberation of Salavandra (UFLS), he begins fighting the unbridled capitalistic forces controlling his country.

About the Author:

This novel is the product of both professional and personal interests of Theodore Erski. The story ostensibly examines a revolution on a coffee-producing island. More significantly, however, Salavandra offers readers a critique of US trade policy, globalization and international labor conditions. Theodore's professional brainchild is a course called The Geography of Coffee, a two-credit course regularly taught at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois (USA).

"I hope Salavandra helps people consider the profound economic, political and human impact of the seemingly humble coffee bean. This commodity, which consumers typically notice only when it's absent, is desperately important to millions of producers."

First Chapter Samples:

Chapter One is available here as a downloadable pdf. It is also available here as a downloadable mp3.

Get the Complete Novel:

Salavandra: A Coffee Tale is self-published and available in both print and audio formats. Print copies are available at Lulu.com and at Amazon.com. The audio book is located at Podiobooks.com, and at AudioBooksForFree.com.