In Coffee Country, Jorge relates how he grew up in a small Salvadoran town, where his parents owned a small pupusería. Seeing customers from all walks of life visit the restaurants, Jorge became increasingly aware of the extreme poverty and inequality that marked Salvadoran life. As a teenager in the 1970s, he became increasingly involved in activist politics, but by 1979 El Salvador had descended into Civil War. A year later, aged just 19 and fearing the military death squads that often targeted young students, Jorge made the decision to leave El Salvador. He boarded a bus to the United States: 25 years would pass until he was able to return to El Salvador.
Today, Jorge is a poet and author. He has written numerous children's books, short stories as well as poems that have been included in textbooks and anthologies. His children's books are written in poetry form, in two languages (English and Spanish), and reflect the Latino experience and heritage; he also writes about the Nahuat Pipil and their deep appreciation and respect for nature. His adult poems cover themes of the hardships of growing up in El Salvador during wartime and the difficulties experienced by immigrants in the United States.
