Jon Stevens Alon

Upright American Citizens Jon Stevens Alon

Predominantly, the theme of my books deal with perseverance, persistence, and achieving our dreams by overcoming all the odds, challenges, setbacks, disappointments, and enemies, something that many immigrants share coming to America, as I did at 13. As a teenager immigrant in Brooklyn, New York, hanging out with young Sicilian would be hoods, I was fascinated with the Sicilian, Irish, and Jewish Mafia folklore. They were our heroes. Somebody did them wrong, there was retribution. They had the money, cars, and gorgeous "broads." They America by the "balls." Or so we fantasized. With proud Sephardi roots in Toledo-Spain, and Algeria, Israeli born, growing up in the New York melting pot I got to know many immigrants, and we all seem to share a common goal: become upright American citizens, make money, provide a good future for our families in what we thought of as the "land of opportunities." Primarily targeting domestic US and international male readers between the ages of 18-49, the young immigrant hero of my book UPRIGHT AMERICAN CITIZENS has one ambitious goal: to be a Latin-pop singing star. However, circumstances lead him astray, and the book explores his dangerous journey to achieving his dream. UPRIGHT AMERICAN CITIZENS is a gangster story with a special musical twist of two childhood immigrant friends who become bitter enemies when they choose different sides of the law to achieve the dream of becoming upright American citizens. However, when their violent past catches up with them, they must reunite and fight for their lives and lives of their loved ones, in a war of survival against cruel old and new enemies out to destroy them, ultimately proving that friendship, and family love and loyalty are above all. UPRIGHT AMERICAN CITIZENS is an emotional saga of an immigrant family reluctantly sucked into the crime world, a tale of love and hate, loyalty, betrayal, revenge, tragedy, romance, sex, violence, failure, tears, joy, and human spirit rising triumphant, as our immigrants endure and overcome their obstacles in quest of achieving their"American Dream," only to face a new set of challenges in the sequel. As a filmmaker I write with a unique cinematic style and pace. I write by instinct, and even though the story is set in Miami, the New York street influence is evident in my profanity charged street dialogue. I believe that readers who like violent Mafia tales, will find this UPRIGHT AMERICAN CITIZENS book entertaining.