The following is an interview done with Dr. Juan D. Villarreal, author of “Truth Decay: How Government Corruption Caused a Political Scandal Victimizing Texas Dentists and How It Could Happen to You!,” published by TDMR. The book has now been available for two months on Amazon.
If you haven’t obtained your copy, please pick up either the paperback or the Kindle version.
What’s been the response to your book from people you run into now that “Truth Decay” has been published?
The response has been one of shock for many people, especially those I run into here in the Valley where I live. They have heard about these things going on in government, but they are shocked that it happened in our community.
Any specific reactions you would like to share?
Again, the overall reaction was that it was kind of hard to believe. Most realized from reading the book that I’d gone through a lot in that situation and were proud that I was willing to fight back.
One of my staff met the mayor of Harlingen at church and he told her that he had read the book. He went on to say that he didn’t realize I had gone through so much and was amazed that I was able to fight back and prevail. I personally ran into city commissioner Mike Mezmar who also read the book and he said that he totally understood what I went through.
You had a release party for the event in Harlingen at the end of January, how did that go?.
The evening went really well. I had a lot of relatives, friends and patients show up who wanted to know more about the book. I ended up doing a one-hour presentation, going over the history of what occurred and the whole process.
A local paper, La Feria Press, published an article on the evening.
So what are your plans now that the book has been published?
I want to continue to disseminate the book so that people realize that there are things that need to be changed in government and that change can occur. Hopefully, more people will become proactive towards creating a better government for everyone.
Do you plan on writing another book?
That’s a good question. If I were to write another book, I think I would write about nutrition or something that affects our health.
Dr. Villareal has always been my hero. Great book! It is scary what happened to the Medicaid doctors, but Dr. Villareal bravery and persistence helped all the doctors. Thank you Juan.