Juan Ciuro

Juan B. Ciuro - Latino Author/Screenwriter/Humorist
Biography
Born March 3, 1950 in New York City, Juan was named after the Patron Saint of San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was raised in the bi-cultural worlds of his Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican home and the English-speaking world of New York City.
Despite an impoverished background and lack of formal education, Juan rose through the ranks of Federal Law Enforcement. He served as a Federal Correctional Officer, Border Patrol Agent, and Federal Investigator at the World Trade Center. He ended his carrer with the Department of Veterans Affairs as Chief of Police. On October 15, 1992, Juan received the Police Officer of the Year award, and his name was placed in the Book of Records in the American Police Hall of Fame.
Juan is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Writing Career
Juan began writing after attending night classes at Lehman College (CUNY) in the Bronx during the late 1980’s. He completed his first book, a humorous autobiography, Lousy Puerto Rican (LPR), ISBN 0-9747720-0-3, at the late age of 53. He was represented by Moses Cardona, literary agent, of John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
Juan’s book received positive reviews, including in “Urban Latino Magazine” where Richard Rodriguez wrote, “…As soon as I started to read it, I knew that the author’s first book was going to be an extremely hysterical ride.” Gustavo A. Mellander, Ph. D, in “The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education” also gave it a positive review, as did “The New York Post” and Apt Medium.
LPR was well received within the Puerto Rican and Latino community. However the politically incorrect title of LPR hampered efforts to “mainstream” it. He wrote the screenplay for LPR in 2005 after being approached by a motion picture concern.
Juan has given presentations on cultural diversity at colleges, high schools, and community Latino organizations such as the Puerto Rican Cultural Alliance in Allentown PA. He has been active in other community activities within the Allentown, PA area, including work with Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, an organization providing shelter and services for battered women, Access Services, an organization serving adults with developmental delays, and the Community Policing program.
Juan has completed his second book, addressing the topic of Autism. To this end, he spent two years conducting extensive field research about the "spectrum" of Autism and Aspergers Syndrome. He has worked with both professionals and clinicians, as well as families with autistic children. This work, entitled "Tequila Killed the Remote Control" is planned for publication in 2010.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu