The Heart and Soul of the Barrio is a short story collection about living on the dangerous streets of the gang-infested Barrios.

Through this collection of stories, I hope to show that a gang member is not just a gang member, they are also a living being with ideas, loves, and aspirations. They have mothers, fathers, a heart, and a soul. My desire is that by giving names and emotions to the stories it will inspire the readers to contemplate the thought: Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.