Samuel Zamarripa ’78 MPA has had his first novel, The Spectacle of Let — The Oliet and Obit, published by Floricanto Press, a premiere publisher of books committed to furthering Latino/Latina culture. In the novel, Zamarripa offers a contemporary American voice through a narrative style that merges real world settings with fantastical elements and stories. He charts the journey of protagonist Otto Cristóbal Almeida, an author, and his mysterious manuscript, The Voice of the Looking Mountains, across culture and time, toward redemption. Zamarripa offers readers a clever novel that is essentially a book within a book.

Zamarripa’s debut as a novelist may seem surprising, considering his previous career trajectory and accomplishments. Building on a distinguished background of public service, Zamarripa was the first Hispanic to serve in the Georgia State Senate, where he represented the 36th District. During his two terms in the state senate, Zamarripa served as the secretary of the State Economic Development Committee and as a member of the committees on Insurance and Labor, Science and Technology, and Transportation.

After retiring as a state senator in 2011, Zamarripa co-founded the Essential Economy Council, a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that assists in educating elected officials and business leaders on the value of Georgia’s most essential labor.

In addition to his experience in public policy, Zamarripa is director of the insurance company AssuranceAmerica, and is president of Intent Solutions, a data service and biotechnology firm. He is also a trustee of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and serves as a lifetime trustee of Syracuse University.

More information about Samuel Zamarripa’s new novel can be found here. 

06/15/17