Worlds Apart (The Silver Oaks Series Book 1)

Certainly it assures our sympathy, being the most familiar character of them all, alongside the love interest, Visyna. But it was also a bit weird. He wasn't human, and it would be a far more thrilling read to have the main character be truly non-human. This would be a challenge to write - there's a good reason why main characters are almost always human; or if Other, tend to be written as human. Part of the issue is the reader: Can a human care for a being not of the same species, really? Plenty of stories have depicted a negative answer to this question, when the non-human is a secondary character.

What's missing in the genre - from science fiction too I'm sure - are stories that have a completely shifted narrative perspective; or if they do try, they do it poorly. What we have in A Darkness Forged in Fire is a colonial world run by a British-esque empire that believes whole-heartedly in the superiority of its own civilisation, providing fertile ground for a critique of imperialism. There is a bit of that there, but it's quite obvious and not all that important. At the end of the day, so to speak, I'm not sure what was important.

Almost the entire book depicts an army on the move and engaged in battle. Perspective shifts between Konowa, a private called Alwyn who gives us the troop's perspective, and Visyna, with an occasional other voice thrown in, like the new Viceroy. There were some elements I very much enjoyed: I liked his bengar, Jir, and Rallie's messenger birds - especially Wobbly, the perpetually drunk pelican, and Dandy the raptor.

There was great potential in the monsters and the flesh- and soul-eating trees, as well as the Big Problem with the oath that binds the Iron Elves in more ways than one. But it was slow, very slow, and the final battle was especially frustrating. Descriptions began to get confusing, and I have no idea why the dwarf's Company went off on its own - supposedly to scout - and took so much longer to get to the outpost.

I formed no lasting attachments to any of the characters; it was a tad too simplistic in plot and concept to trigger my curiosity; and aside from the old "rid the world of the evil one" plot I have no idea where this story is going. The Shadow Monarch is an unknown and probably unknowable entity, and so by default can cause no real fear or concern. Other "evil ones" are shades and the like, and just don't feel very threatening. On the whole, I feel very ambivalent towards this book. I'm disappointed that the second half didn't live up to the promise of the first half, that the characters were too superficial, and that every attempt to create a deeper and darker atmosphere only wrecked what had already been achieved by over-doing it.

Chris Evans 'The Iron Elves' trilogy completely overwhelmed me entirely and i cannot commend the books highly enough. It was only by a very slim chance that i picked up 'A darkness forged in fire' off the bookshelf because it really did not stand out at all with such a pale cover, but little did i know at the time that it was the best descision that i had ever made in terms of choosing a book to read. At first when i read the blurb i looked in disbelief at the words Elves next to muskets and i t Chris Evans 'The Iron Elves' trilogy completely overwhelmed me entirely and i cannot commend the books highly enough.

At first when i read the blurb i looked in disbelief at the words Elves next to muskets and i thought how can you mix JRR Tolkien with Bernard Cornwell, but this comparision is in a sense very true and also not true because Chris Evans is just so unique and indavidual in his portrayal of a fantasy book.

Kate Mathias, Author

I fell in love with the main charicter of Konowa Swift Dragon immediately and throughout the book he was the focus point, such as Harry is in Harry Potter. I began to understand the creation that Evans had created and that the Elves in his trilogy were different to others in lititary fiction and so likewise were many of the other charicters and creatures. The book was full of action and drama which was really spine-tingling and full on fast paced, plus it contained a deep romance too which i really longed for to be resolved but which only led to a cliff-hanger at the end. The good versus evil was the main storyline focus and as for the 'evil' of the shadow monarch and her kin i apsolutely loved it and was bowled over completely by Evans' creative imagination; i mean deadly killing trees!

There was also some background history included which as a reader i felt particularly privaliged to know about and it really added depth and another layer to the fantastic storyline, making it even more intense and interesting.

Apart from Harry Potter and Tolkien by far Chris Evans exceeded all expecations with this book and made me not just like his work but really love it, so that i immediately after reading the 1st installment had to go out and buy the next two books The light of burning shadows and also Ashes of a black frost. The trilogy is one of the very best that i have ever read and i cannot enthuse about it enough, but i do realise that it is also very unique and will as a concequence of this not appeal to everyone even if you are a fan of fantasy fiction or not.

The books and certainly the first one had such an impact upon myself and only increased my enjoyment and devotion to this genre and type of literature. Chris Evans is an author who is a force to be reccond with and a real gem, as i cannot beleive that anyone would not like 'A darkness forged in fire' because it was just so great and i could not stop reading it once i had begun. View all 3 comments. May 07, Donna rated it really liked it Shelves: Fantasy novels are mostly about good versus evil and when they involve so many interesting characters it makes for a great read.

But having said that it was a bit long-winded at pages. There are faraway lands, sick forests and evil witches. Then there are good witches as well, but as in most good versus evil, the good and evil overlap. An Empire, an army and a mixed bag of characters fightin A Darkness Forged in Fire Chris Evans I am a bit of a lover of fantasy novels and this was no exception.

An Empire, an army and a mixed bag of characters fighting for the good of the land. There was a lot of description and explanation and a lot of characters so it did become somewhat confusing at times but as I read more, things fell into place and the story flowed a bit smoother. I loved the magic and sorcery and also the way the story combined different lives with different tools and arms. I think this novel was written in a way that we can see how people from different walks of life can and do get along, help each other and fight for what is right even though they may not always agree with the way to go about it.

All in all in was a good book but a bit long. I liked this book. Perhaps against my expectations. No, really, it is rather good. The protagonist has a really catchy name too. Konowa Swift Dragon is an elf and former leader of the Iron Elves. He is also in exile and out of favour with just about everybody. The Elves don't like him because he doesn't adhere to the same beliefs about nature The Iron Elves are so called because they use metal weapons such as Sabers and Muskets as opposed to the other Elves who shun metal, opting instead for wo I liked this book.

The Elves don't like him because he doesn't adhere to the same beliefs about nature The Iron Elves are so called because they use metal weapons such as Sabers and Muskets as opposed to the other Elves who shun metal, opting instead for wooden weapons like bows. In short, Konowa doesn't talk to the trees. The Queen of the Empire and her followers aren't too fond of him either, since he assassinated their Viceroy never mind the fact that said Viceroy was an instrument of the Shadow Monarch. See, now I'm getting ahead of myself.

By the way, this is not a spoiler, just in case you were tut-tutting. Evil is upon the land, courtesy of already mentioned Shadow Monarch, who is actually a rather powerful elf witch Galadriel gone bad? Well, actually, to find the red star of the prophecy, which should not, repeat not, fall into the grubby paws of the evil elf witch. From there, things go awry and all kinds of weird adversities are unleashed upon our anti-hero and his motley band of brothers. This novel is the first in a trilogy, and as such, it ends on a rather open note.

The things that really stood out for me were the setting and the almost Napoleonic aspects intermingled with the more traditional fantasy elements. Elves with muskets and cannons, how cool is that? This is military fantasy, and at times it gets a bit gritty. On occasion, it did feel a bit like reading a Warhammer novel. This is really not a bad thing.

The characters are fun, and there are some really interesting 'pets' prowling around. Perhaps I'm just easy to please. Jul 02, Sarah rated it liked it Shelves: I wanted to read this book because the premise of an elf who hated the woods was interesting.

This book was superbly average. The romance was cliche, the dialog was stilted, the characters were not as unique as I had hoped. The plot was predictable. All of the standard dimensions of three-star fantasy were in place from the roman I wanted to read this book because the premise of an elf who hated the woods was interesting.

All of the standard dimensions of three-star fantasy were in place from the romance to the magic to the unmemorable events. Don't get me wrong, the book was a light, entertaining read but it was nothing groundbreaking and nothing I'll remember in a day. I have little to no desire to continue on with the series because I feel like I already know what's going to happen.

I feel like I've read about all of these characters before that I've read about these situations before While it is an entertaining read, I think fans of Dragonlance and those kinds of books may find it more enjoyable than I did. May 05, Abigail Singer rated it liked it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It amazes me how many different ways people can write about elves. Everyone has their own opinion to what elves are like, but one thing that remains constant is the tie of elves to nature.

And "A Darkness Forged in Fire" is no different. The thing that really stood out to me was the fact that some elves use muskets, and the main character, Konowa actually hates the forest. It really helped make the Iron Elves or the "fallen ones" stand out among other elves I have read. The book had a strong ope It amazes me how many different ways people can write about elves. The book had a strong opening that grabbed me from the get-go. Evans is heavy on the militaristic breakdown and that isn't something I usually go for. A lot of time spent in camps and going on about the breakdown of the regiment.

While being well written, it got old after a while, as did the idiot prince in charge. In the beginning Konowa complains he's going to have to baby-sit the prince until he becmes a man and I was hoping to see a little of that transformation. Granted, this is only the first book of either a series or a trilogy so I hope to see more from that transformation as the tale continues. All in all not a bad read and I did enjoy it, however I perfer a little more character development. The only feeling I really got from that was Alwyn, a lad fresh out of the village seemingly unsuited for military life and Yimt, a surly dwarf who goes from saying the best way to stay alive is to stay away from battle, to leading a scout party in the most dangerous area.

Aug 26, Joseph rated it liked it. The elf Konowa Swift Dragon used to lead Her Majesty's regiment The Iron Elves, but has spent the past year living in the forest after being banished in disgrace and getting his regiment disbanded for killing someone who, admittedly, did need a certain amount of killing. Entertaining military fantasy -- an early pre-Wexler, pre-McClellan example of flintlock fantasy, where muskets take their place next to swords and bows.

Feb 15, Ranting Dragon rated it really liked it Shelves: The trilogy continues with The Light of Burning Shadows and will be completed by Ashes of a Black Frost, due for release in summer As the story begins in A Darkness Forged in Fire, Konowa Swift Dragon has led his regiment into shame and exile; he murdered a Viceroy and now the honor of the Iron Elves is as bloodied as his hands.

Konowa, court-marshaled and banished, has had plenty of time to dwell on his predicament as he wanders the dense forests he despises so fervently with only his loyal bengar, Jir, to keep him sane. With a new draft of soldiers to fill his beloved Iron Elves—and not a single elf amongst them—Konowa must face not only the rising elf-witch, the Shadow Monarch, as she vies for domination, but also himself.

Deep in the forest, Konowa is ordered to find the scattered original Iron Elves, under the constant scrutiny of an inexperienced, adventure-seeking Prince Tykkin. Everything is in the name of the Queen, whether Konowa and his men like it or not. Dwarves need not apply A regiment smells, and A Darkness Forged in Fire captures this scent in every page.

The soldiers of the Iron Elves are diverse and it is through them that the regiment is given life: Together, Alwyn and Yimt—the only dwarf in the unit, sworn in by cheek alone—pull the reader to the level of the soldiers, away from the lofty, tense world in which Konowa—at the side of the prince—exists in the unit.

Evans offers a real taste of what life in the cursed Iron Elves is like through the friendship of Alwyn and Yimt. Rallie, official reporter for the Queen, is a cigar-smoking old crone, who, while she is more than she first seems, remains a constant oracle, doling out guidance and advice to Konowa and to the unit. She delivers both wit and wisdom as she sketches her way through trouble, chain-smoking all the while.

The setting is explained as the story progresses, and little time is devoted to the background of the situation. Keep it moving The weakest point of the book is movement, especially during battles; it appears at times that Evans has completely forgotten to move his characters as they fight. This is especially true of the final battle of the book, where it seems Konowa and another officer observe the fight from stationary places, like cardboard cut outs, when in fact, the narrative and dialogue suggest they actively participate.

Why should you read this book? A Darkness Forged in Fire is a different take on commonplace fantasy elements, combining both sorcery and military conquest with classic sword-clashing and a struggle to save the world from death and darkness. It is a vivid and gripping debut by an imaginative writer whose strengths far outweigh his weaknesses, and whose original, vibrant characters bring the world to life in place.

Oct 26, Sarah rated it it was ok. For my th review on Shelfari, where I copied this from , I was honestly hoping to write cunningly written, insightful rave about my latest book. The book opens with glowing promise. Our intrepid hero, banished for a dishonorable deed done for all the right reasons, has been recalled to possibly restore his tarnished honor. He mee For my th review on Shelfari, where I copied this from , I was honestly hoping to write cunningly written, insightful rave about my latest book.

He meets one of the only women who exist in this part of the universe at least, the only woman who merits the description of "attractive" , and even as he is given is life-or-death mission, little heart-shaped sparks fly. Well, no, that's not really true. I think the author wanted to believe that these two were, ahem, falling in love, but I could think of no character-driven reason why they would like each other. When she first sees him, he's been living in the woods for a year, something he's terrible at, been sprayed by a skunk - Sorry, Skunk DRAGON - and is surly and rather terse.

She thinks he's a hunk all the same. His band of "Iron Elves" is being reformed. Of course, they're not being reformed by actual elves because that would be just too kind. Instead, they get the dregs of their local society foisted on them and then are sent out into the wilderness to recover the Magic MacGuffin while operating around the various incompetencies of their Commander-in-Chief, the dunderheaded Prince. And so, here's the plot of the story - journey, battle, harder journey, bigger battle, even harder journey, biggest battle.

The first part had promise. There are elves, dwarfs, humans, witches and non-magical, boring ol' humans. I can work with all this stuff. Also, instead of only using sword and sorcery, these elves can also work with muskets and cannon. Many things just happen between characters because they "have to. They have nothing in common, you say? That doesn't matter, silly reader. Because she's a non-elf who communes with nature and he IS an elf who feels no bond with it! How they have been turned! Honestly, I felt that the relationship, though not the individual characters, between the dwarf corporal and the rookie human recruit was better developed.

The two had a friendship born of shared experiences and similar desires. Granted, those desires could be boiled down to "let's not die" but still. The Big Bad Evil is really Madame-Not-Appearing-In-This-Volume and seems to be pretty content to sit in the shadows, steepling her fingers and chuckling an evil chuckle.

And toward the end of the book, he creates a zombie horse. I wanted so much to really like this book. I loved the overall concept of mixing fantasy and gunpowder, but for how long the book is, the story overall felt hollow. There were no real characters that I felt I could either walk around as, or walk around beside. Even Our Intrepid Hero is more morose and "woe is me; I have let down my comrades" than "Let's do this thang, gents! Another gripe I had was the over-fantasization of the world. I'm honest-to-God shocked that I didn't like that.

I LIKE magical creatures. I LIKE strange locations. But a muraphant is an elephant. You don't need to make up a new name for something we already have. A bengar is a black tiger with red stripes. Then there's the made-up words that he throws in constantly, like "Ryk Faur". There is no glossary, and you have to guess the meaning of words by context.

Normally, that's fine, but since I wasn't thrilled by the rest of the book, having to re-translate his Fantasy-speak every time the word came up got to be a burden.

I was glad when it was over I found this story quite hard to get into but once I got past the first about pages or so I was sucked in and couldn't leave it down. There are some different concepts at work here, not radically different, but just different enough. Elves in particular take on traditional and non-traditional roles, but done very well.

The evil Shadow Monarch, who is really a master of the powers of cold, opposes all life. The Long Watch elves who guard the trees oppose her, as well as the Empire, and the Ir I found this story quite hard to get into but once I got past the first about pages or so I was sucked in and couldn't leave it down. The Long Watch elves who guard the trees oppose her, as well as the Empire, and the Iron Elves, a regiment of elves who cannot belong to the Long Watch.

Joining them are a castoff bunch of humans and a dwarf. There's a few mysteries here that aren't cleared up enough, and at times it is a bit simplistic, but still quite good. Its not Robert Jordan or G.

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Martin quality, but certainly the next level. The battle scenes, using guns and cannons, bayonets and fists, draw you into an era of history not generally utilized in fantasy, adding a sense of freshness to the traditional elements employed. And the misfits making up the Iron Elves quickly start grow on you. Chris Evans has the ability to paint a fully realized description in a single sentence. My hospital room quickly filled with nurses and doctors.

It has been almost seven weeks to the day since I found out that I had a mass on my right frontal lobe. I have a small hole in my heart, but the jury is still out on if surgery is the best option. How my life changed in one moment We will need to run more tests to find out more. That afternoon was a typical day in my life. Child of the Loch by Elizabeth Delana Rosa.

Fellow author Elizabeth has a new book, Child of the Loch to be released on November 30th. In just a few weeks, this book could be yours. Check out the blurb and give Elizabeth some love on her release day! Twenty-three year accountant, J. J McDonnell, has spent her life trying to be normal and hide her gifts, but all dreams of normalcy are dashed on her twenty-fourth birthday. A handsome man shows up on her porch with a marriage edict and news that the grandfath. When I first started writing Worlds Apart, I was writing for myself as much as any one else. Since Worlds Apart has come out, I have been blessed by its success.

It's now time to give back or pay my success forward by helping others that are away from their loved ones by protecting our freedom. Popularity Popularity Featured Price: Low to High Price: Teen pregnancy is related to all sorts of social problems linked to poverty: While the overall teen birth rate continues to decline in Bexar County, the number of births to females age 15 to 19 in in —2, — was still too high, experts say. Of those births, almost were to teen mothers who already had one child.

Teen pregnancy is related to single parenthood, which in itself is linked to poverty. Single-mother-headed households are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty as single-father families. One in three children in Bexar County lives with a single parent, the study found. Teens may be loathe to bring up the issue of birth control to parents; schools may avoid the subject in their abstinence-only curricula.

Poverty rates in Bexar County

Ann Marie Ruiz , 36, a single mother of eight, lived with her children, who ranged in age from 5 to 21, in a three-bedroom apartment at Cassiano Homes for four years. In summer , her son Jason, 15, had recently had a baby with his girlfriend, who also was Jason Gonzalez, right, 15, sits with his girlfriend Leann Campos, left, with their baby Elijah. The family has since moved out of Cassiano Homes. They have since moved out of the housing project.

One afternoon, Jason picked up 2-month-old son Elijah from his car seat. The baby had thick black hair and mewled like a little lamb. Children are a blessing from heaven above.

A Darkness Forged in Fire

Another son also received a disability check, for attention-deficit disorder. In many census tracts, the percentage of individuals who lived in poverty in showed an increased by , when the county had an overall rate of By , the rate had dropped to At Cassiano Homes, a sprawling, acre complex with more than 1, residents, most of them Hispanic, more than one-third of the households subsist on government help, such as food stamps.

About 23 percent get by on disability payments, Social Security income or pensions. Another 39 percent earn wages through work or unemployment benefits. She watched three kids for a friend during the week; other kids from the complex also hung out in the apartment. On that hot afternoon, when three box fans moved around what little cool air was coming from a wall unit, the four-bedroom apartment felt overstuffed. The stifling hot kitchen — separated from the living room by a hanging sheet — was grungy and overcrowded with kids, some in saggy diapers, imparting a Third World feel.

But in the living room there was a big-screen TV, bought on credit. Each upstairs bedroom had a smaller TV. Anne grew up poor, the child of a single mother, who worked as a seamstress. She got pregnant the first time at She worked in minimum-wage, fast-food jobs for years but, like Patricia Hernandez, quit seven years ago because she was just handing her paycheck to the day-care center.

He helped out Ruiz occasionally, giving her money for cleaning supplies and such. She was on the wait list for a Section 8 rental house, hoping her family could find some privacy. Ruiz said at the time that she had dreams of becoming a diet supplement distributor. Tish and Cleo Booker , both of whom grew up poor, lived with four of their six children in a subsidized rental home in Beaumont, which had been rendered unlivable by Hurricane Ike.

Cold air shot through holes in the floor; sewage smell seeped up from underneath. They lived in those conditions for six years, having no other options. The Booker family including from left, Carnelia, then 12, Tish, Cleo, Cleo II, then 15, Mary, then 14, and Kelley, then 10, sort the candy they received while trick or treating in the neighborhood surrounding Cassiano Homes on Oct.

The family moved to San Antonio in , hoping that subsidized housing options here might be more generous. They lived at the Salvation Army shelter for four months, all six sharing one room, until an apartment came open in Cassiano Homes in October of that year. As a heat wave reached its peak in August , the family struggled without air conditioning — only heat is provided at the project, Tish said. By September, the family was sleeping together in the living room, the only cool place — Cleo and Tish on the couch, bought at the Salvation Army, the four kids on a queen-size mattress on the floor, or on the floor itself.

The only piece of furniture was a kitchen table and a TV. The sweltering upstairs bedrooms were empty save for small piles of clothes. In San Antonio, 49, residents — those who used to be employed but no longer can work for health reasons — received disability payments last year, as well as 1, spouses and some 13, children, who get benefits through their disabled parents. She visits church pantries when the food stamps run out. That summer, she took out three quick-cash loans just to buy food, debts she pays every month but which never go down, because of their high interest rates.

Cleo, 56, a high school dropout and a former trucker, also receives disability for work-related back injury he suffered in Like Jerry Hernandez, his monthly disability payment recently was garnished for back child support he owes to another woman. Tish did graduate from high school. Her work career began at 17 and mainly involved fast-food restaurants. She and Cleo want to see their children break the cycle of poverty, she said. Tish says they keep the children indoors as much as possible, except for Kids Club, a once-a-week after-school program run by a local ministry at the complex.

TV helps fill the time. About 12 years ago, in Beaumont, the state investigated them over allegations of possible physical abuse, Tish said. They ended up losing their children for a year, as they took part in parenting classes and other services. Toward the end of Tish said she and her spouse had done all the services CPS had required of them and the case had been closed. All four children nurtured dreams of a brighter future. Mary, 15, wants to be a first-grade teacher. Cleo II, 16, wants to be a police officer.

Carnelia, 13, wants to play professional basketball. Kelley, 10, has set her sights on nursing. Two of the kids take pills for ADHD; two take sleeping medication. In the summer of , Kelley had a birthday party. The family was out of food stamps, so she had to wait three days to celebrate — hot dogs, chips and cookies. Four of her friends from the complex attended. For the big finish, Tish produced a bag of Popsicles. Before the party, Carnelia practiced her clarinet on the tiny back porch, which looked out on a trash-strewn grassy area and a clothesline hung with clothes. A small pile of empty Tall Boy beer cans sat pyramid-like in one corner.

She said she is going to live far, far away from this place when she grows up. For Taylor Reeves, who got pregnant at 19 and had her second child two years ago, being a mother of two at 21 was difficult, but it was also a way to experience the affection she never got from the adults in her life, she said. She was jailed twice for fighting; she lost her virginity at 14, she said. Many teens who give birth come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Teen pregnancy is linked to generational poverty, experts say, and is implicated in many problems associated with it: In San Antonio, there were 2, births to girls ages 10 to 19 in San Antonio in The majority of teen births — 1, — occur among teens ages 18 to Among the teen mothers who gave birth in San Antonio in , — like Reeves - already had at least one child.

Reeves gave birth to her son, Desmond, a few days later. Taylor Reeves holds her newborn son, Desmond, as she says goodbye to staff on the day she moved out of Seton Home on Aug. For seven years, the couple had run a free, faith-based after-school and summer program for the children who live at Cassiano Homes, an aging public housing complex on the West Side.

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Some 1, youths live in the apartments at any time; each year, about of them take part in Kids Club. The Gaineses used to have a church on the North Side, where they and their congregants dabbled in helping the poor. As he continues to recover, his son and daughter-in-law are running the program. So many kids participate in the program it has to be done in shifts, by sections of the complex. This means children can join in only one day a week or less. A wiry, energetic man with a neat salt-and-pepper beard, Gaines, 57, went door-to-door, gathering the flock. They also stopped to chat with parents, sometimes huddled conversations where they offer support and a listening ear.

Sometimes, they had to work with neighborhood schools and the authorities to report parents to Child Protective Services for suspected abuse and neglect. The ZIP code in which the complex is located routinely posts the highest number of confirmed cases in the city, about a year. Inside the community room, things grew lively as the 50 or so children played silly games, such as trying to move a cookie from their foreheads to their mouths without using their hands.

Laughter and shouts of joy ricocheted off the walls. Then the tone grew more serious. Then Gaines got up to drive the message home. How many of you have broken hearts, he asked? Hands went up around the room. He spoke of the pain a child might feel when an absent father, promising to show up for lunch, never materializes. As he spoke of the hurts some in his flock might have endured, his voice grew passionate, breaking at times. A second one, Jireh House, provides a food pantry, clothing and Bible study for adults. The policy extends to religious-oriented programming, he said.

When the sermon was done, Gaines asked children who wanted a hug or a prayer to come forward. One by one they filed to the front, some as young as 6 or 7, many in tears. The prayers and hugs went on for some time. Studies show children who grow up in poverty are more likely to experience severe stress, such as exposure to domestic violence or child abuse, loss of a parent, substandard housing and chaotic home lives. This stress can have lifelong negative effects, such as higher risks for mental illness, substance abuse and other health problems.

A new study showed poverty tends to be more harmful to boys than girls. Poverty even can act as a neurotoxin — one study showed children in low-income families had smaller brain volume than those from richer homes. Early deprivation can lead to long-term cognitive and behavioral troubles.

Kids in low-income families enter school already behind in vocabulary, knowing far fewer words than their better-off peers. But programs like Kids Club help mitigate the damage, research shows. On a single afternoon inside the community center at Cassiano Homes, healing seemed to be happening. It was a happy atmosphere that belied the struggles the family had endured over the previous two years, after Frank lost his job and Dana worked herself to the bone for six months, juggling both full- and part-time jobs.

When people talk about poverty and the income gap in San Antonio, where almost 20 percent of residents never catch a glimpse of prosperity, two issues tend to emerge: Without college degrees but with some training or skills, they get paid somewhat above the minimum wage but still have a hard time providing for their families.

Patches of the linoleum floor are coming up; the walls feature holes here and there. Other walls bear evidence of a sheet rock project that ground to a halt after the money ran out. Dana and Frank both were raised by single mothers. Frank grew up at Alazan-Apache Courts, a housing project, where the family got by on public assistance. He used to work as a VIA bus driver, a job he held for more than a decade, earning twice the minimum wage. Dana stayed home with the kids, working as a night hotel auditor as each child entered grade school, earning medical field certificates at community college along the way.

Two years ago, it all came crashing down. His long-term disability pay stopped more than a year ago. I just never saw them. Recently, Dana received a promotion at work, which included a pay increase. Frank is back to working part-time, driving a shuttle. Still, life is hard.

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The heyday of coal, steel and middle-class manufacturing jobs is over, despite what politicians might promise, experts say. The technological and digital revolution has left many lacking the necessary skills to prosper. Too few students, especially those at two-year and for-profit colleges, leave with a degree or certificate, and many are burdened with significant debt, studies show. President-elect Donald Trump has promised a massive infrastructure construction program, which ostensibly would put scores of Americans to work. Statewide, Texas was responsible for 41 percent of all job growth in the nation from to , creating 2 million jobs, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

In Bexar County, An uneducated populace means high-skill industries often have to look elsewhere to find qualified employees, experts said. But with only 45, workers — 4. Houston has more than , STEM employees, or 8. An educated populace is a big part of what lures STEM companies and other high-wage industries to a city, experts say. Absent that, they stay away. Steve Glickman, head of the Economic Innovation Group in Washington, said San Antonio trails all other major cities in Texas when it comes to the rate of new business creation and start-ups. San Antonio trails not just Austin and Fort Worth, but even Corpus Christi and Laredo, in terms of percentage of business growth over the last four years.

Almost 30 states and dozens of cities now have minimum wages that exceed the federal level. Of those, 62 percent are in their prime working years. A little more than half live in households with children; 46 percent have at least some college. Almost 70 percent are Hispanic.

Various studies have found differences in what is considered a living wage. Yet another study found a minimum-wage worker in Texas would have to work a whopping 73 hours a week to rent a one-bedroom apartment at fair market rate. By law, the city has no authority to require higher wages for workers at private businesses, such as fast-food chains. Some argue that raising the minimum wage would be detrimental to the very people it would purport to help, by reducing the amount of jobs available and raising prices. Those against raising the minimum wage tend to prefer the earned-income tax credit, already in existence, a tax policy lauded on both sides of the political aisle that basically provides an annual income tax refund for people who are among the working poor.

But a lump sum at the end of the year may not help with the day-to-day costs of holding a job, such as child care, an issue that hobbles many low-income workers, especially women, Beeson said. In San Antonio, the wait list for subsidized child care through Workforce Solutions Alamo, a county workforce program that provides career counseling and other services, hovers around 4, families, said spokeswoman Eva Esquivel. Claudia Martinez , 39, was another San Antonio resident who in fall held more than one full-time job and still felt threatened by financial instability.

On the weekends, she also worked as a cashier at a nightclub from 8 p. And she worked overtime in emergency care for UHS. Since her husband died unexpectedly, Martinez has struggled to support her six children. Claudia Martinez, right, spends time with her family after arriving home from work as general manager of a new restaurant, The Rustic Burger, on Nov.

The guests live in the neighborhood and like to support local businesses. Claudia Martinez lies down with her daughter, Jatzairi Martinez Castaneda, then 7, and granddaughter, Analiyah Martinez Hoffman, then 1, after a long day of work and taking care of her six children on Oct. Martinez was arrested in after she tried to bring an undocumented family member from Mexico into the U.

During that time, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In , she violated her probation by traveling to Mexico without approval — with a group of people who sold drugs. Martinez received a three-year prison sentence. Her mother was awarded custody of her four children. Once out of prison, she was determined to fly right, she said. She earned several medical certificates at a local career college. She met a decent man, a roofer, who loved her kids. They were together almost 10 years, having a daughter of their own.

The good life finally had arrived. Then, her common-law husband died of a heart attack. She and her 7-year-old daughter lived with her mother-in-law. Even though she worked almost 80 hours a week, she said, by the end of the month she was out of money, what with her car payment and insurance, child support payments to her mother, cellphone plans for all the kids, groceries, medical bills. But the hardest part is not seeing her kids enough, she said. Like Dana, she started to cry when she talked about it.

They know why I work so much, but I think at the end the day what they want is for me to pay attention to them. Martinez tried to get a mortgage, so that she, her parents, her six kids and her new granddaughter could all live together, but the bank turned her down for bad credit. Her mother, Lydia, who received disability payment as well as subsidized rent for the two-story brick house in which they live, worried about her daughter. Three months ago, Martinez left her hospital job.