Dominican Minister Salcedo Lauds Julio Montero's 'HUNGRI' at 2026 Book Festival

The Dominican Minister of Culture, Roberto Ángel Salcedo, publicly praised the autobiographical work 'HUNGRI' by Julio Montero Aracena during the 2026 Dominican Book and Culture Festival in Upper Manhattan. Source: eldiado

What happened

Salcedo traveled specifically to inaugurate the event and expressed admiration for Montero's story of overcoming adversity. He called for the work to be valued and supported. Source: hoydo Montero, who was born in Mao and resides in the Bronx, has a physical condition that prevents him from walking. 'HUNGRI' narrates how childhood imagination and cartoons became an emotional refuge and a driving force for resilience. Source: elcaribedr

The book and its reach

The book features prologues by UN representative Magino Corporán and Carlos Samuel Valerio. Source: eldiado It is now available globally on Amazon, Apple Books, and Google Play Books. Source: elcaribedr Through his testimony, Montero aims to inspire the Dominican and immigrant community in the United States.

What's next

Beyond writing, Montero is the founder of HUNGRI Studios, which develops video games WARCHESS and GEREZ, and the webtoon 'El Eco de Memorium'. Source: hoydo He is currently translating 'HUNGRI' into English and working on a second book—a historical fiction novel set in the colonial Dominican era, planned for release by the end of this year. Source: elcaribedr His guiding philosophy: “Lo que no debería jurisdicción moverse se mueve igual” (What shouldn't move, moves anyway). Source: eldiado