Los Susurros del Barrio is a collection of short stories about growing up in South Valley Albuquerque. Through stories about his relatives and his own adventures John is about to describe the complexities of growing up gay in a Chicano barrio and the difficulties between the traditions and culture of the Chicano experience and the white world across the river. At the core of all his stories is family, culture and the land. The Rio Grande river and the acequia system the crisscross the South Valley loom heaving in the life and stories of la gente de Las Mercedes (original name of the south valley of Albuquerque).