We Gambled Our Future: Historia de Dos Caminantes
“Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.”
(Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking.)
—Antonio Machado
What happens when two people from opposite ends of the world bet everything on each other - and win?
We Gambled Our Future: Historia de dos Caminantes is the captivating true story of María Cristina, an educated Latina woman and award-winning Bolivian architect, and Bill, an idealistic American who once studied for the priesthood - two unlikely souls who found each other across continents and built an extraordinary life together. Spanning Bolivia, Latin America, Europe, and the United States over four decades, this 342-page intercultural marriage memoir is a testament to the power of love, courage, and the willingness to leap into the unknown.
When María Cristina arrived in Los Angeles in 1972 with just $300 in her pocket, she and Bill made a simple but daring promise: she would work in her field while he pursued his dream of becoming a doctor. What followed was a life neither could have scripted - navigating immigration, medical school, career triumphs, cross-country moves, and the joyful chaos of raising two daughters between two cultures, two languages, and two proud family traditions.
This is a Bolivian immigrant story rooted in resilience, ambition, and deep, enduring love. From the foothills of the Andes to the beaches of Southern California, from the halls of UC Irvine's medical school to the family ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada, Bill and María Cristina never stopped moving forward - together.
Written as a love letter to their four grandchildren, We Gambled Our Future is also a widow's journey - an honest and moving account of life after loss, and the strength it takes to carry a shared legacy forward. Readers who have loved, lost, or dared to start over will find themselves deeply moved by this multicultural family history.
Also included:
14 pages of family photographs spanning early Bolivia and New York to the present day
Letters written in Bill's own words, offering an intimate and unfiltered glimpse into his heart and mind across the decades
Heartfelt tributes from his daughters and family members, celebrating the man and the legacy he left behind
We Gambled Our Future will resonate with fans of immersive family memoirs, American and Latin American love stories, and stories of strong women who forged their own paths in a world that didn't always make it easy.