Meet Trish Izquierdo, a young, upwardly mobile Latina living in the not-too-lively and perhaps not-too-colorful town of West Echevarria. Weaving together a vivid tapestry of town life and the lives of its citizens, hers is the rich and inviting voice that spins this delightful tale. Trish knows the town history well and, because she devours travelogues, she knows what the town lacks. As she gathers with everyone to plan the annual celebration of the towns founding at the Mariposa Express, where the townsfolk stop not only to eat its rich food but to catch up on the gossip, Trish decides to make something of West Echevarria. She will fill it with interesting people, give the town culture, even if it means she has to invent, steal and recreate the townÍs history! In this engaging and thought provoking tale of love, compassion and the preservation of family, the town of West Echevarria explodes with life as Trish sets out on an adventure that will leave the reader yearning for more.
When Rebecca, a well-to-do Cuban-American woman, decides that sheÍd like to revive the old Cuban tradition of the tertulia, or womenÍs get-together, her best friend dashes her hopes, explaining that in todayÍs career-driven world even her friends require a compelling reason to come from all over Miami to casually meet and chat. At last, the ingenious Becky hits upon the idea of a reading group, and the book selected is a historical novel about nineteenth-century Cuba: the saga of an aristocratic dress-manufacturing clan, the Santa Cruz family. The novel is called . . . Playing with Light. Oddly, as they get ever deeper into the story of the Santa Cruzesespecially Tico and Lolostrange things begin to happen to the reading group. Everyone seems to be . . . sucked in . . . and affected (not necessarily pleasantly) by the saga. (ñWhatÍs for dinner, Mommy?î ñGet a slice of salami out of the refrigerator, dear. CanÍt you see IÍm reading?î) As two worlds, from two different centuries, begin to intertwine in odd ways, and her friends begin to . . . well, to disappear, actually . . . Rebecca canÍt help but wonder what sheÍs gotten herself into. Beatriz Rivera has written an entrancing and wonderfully ambitious novel that places her in the first rank of writers of her generation.
This bibliography contains listings and annotations of all novels, anthologies, and short story collections written by the first, 1.5, and second generations of Cuban Americans. This work also contains listings and annotations of all secondary works dealing with this fiction, as well as related memoirs, autobiographies and interviews.
Mateo Irigaray has come home to end his miserable life. A child prodigy, he was the pride of Hudson County. Born to a Colombian mother who died giving birth to him, he was raised by his older sister and surrounded by an assortment of unusual family members. Though young and inexperienced, it didnÍt take his sister long to realize that Mateo was unusual. By the age of two, he could read and write. As a boy, he could learn a foreign language in a matter of weeks. But now heÍs depressed and ready to end it all. Learning that the famous genius has returned, Melody More, a reporter with the local newspaper, agrees to try and convince him to give the paper an interview. But the only quote heÍll give her is, ñAll I want to do is die!î In spite of his anger and rudeness, she finds herself strangely attracted to the surly, slovenly man who begs her to leave and not interrupt his plans. As their relationship developsMelody returns every day with an assortment of tempting food and winethey realize that they share a complicated history of family secrets and betrayals. From New Jersey to Havana to Switzerland, Rivera peppers this off-beat love story with a range of eccentric characters: MelodyÍs boss and former lover Xoan Xavier Contreras, known to the newspaperÍs readers as Triple X for his triple x-rated expos?s; her sister Odette, who went unnamed for an entire year because of her motherÍs revulsion at her Thalidomide-deformed hands; and most importantly, MelodyÍs mother, who was obsessed with perfection and having a child prodigy of her very own.
What to read next is every book lover's greatest dilemma. Nancy Pearl comes to the rescue with this wide-ranging and fun guide to the best reading new and old. Pearl, who inspired legions of litterateurs with "What If All (name the city) Read the Same Book," has devised reading lists that cater to every mood, occasion, and personality. These annotated lists cover such topics as mother-daughter relationships, science for nonscientists, mysteries of all stripes, African-American fiction from a female point of view, must-reads for kids, books on bicycling, "chick-lit," and many more. Pearl's enthusiasm and taste shine throughout.
There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of narrative work published by Chicana and Latina authors in the past 5 to 10 years. Nonetheless, there has been little attempt to catalog this material. This reference provides convenient access to all forms of narrative written by Chicana and Latina authors from the early 1940s through 2002. In doing so, it helps users locate these works and surveys the growth of this vast body of literature. The volume cites more than 2,750 short stories, novels, novel excerpts, and autobiographies written by some 600 Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, Dominican American, and Nuyorican women authors. These citations are grouped in five indexes: an author/title index, title/author index, anthology index, novel index, and autobiography index. Short annotations are provided for the anthologies, novels, and autobiographies. Thus the user who knows the title of a work can discover the author, the other works the author has written, and the anthologies in which the author's shorter pieces have been reprinted, along with information about particular works.
A celebration of people and pride! Explore the achievements and contributions of Latinos in the United States with this illuminating history. Latinos in the United States are a vibrant mix of people and multiple identities, each unique, varied, and accomplished. Beginning with the Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century, Latinos have been an important part of American society. They’ve fought the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and all wars in between and since, and in the last decade, their businesses have grown at twice the pace of the overall U.S. economy. The most complete and affordable single-volume reference on Latino history available today, Latino Almanac: From Columbus to Corporate America honors the history and the impact of Latinos on the United States. This hefty tome is a fascinating mix of biographies, little-known or misunderstood historical facts, and enlightening essays on significant legislation, movements, current issues, and achievements across a variety of fields, including business, labor, politics, the military, music, sports, law, media, religion, art, literature, theater, film, science, technology, and medicine. A large collection of 650 biographies includes both celebrated and lesser-known Latino stars, such as Dolores Fernández Huerta, labor leader Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court justice Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. poet laureate Roberto C. Goizueta, businessperson, former CEO of Coca-Cola Selena Gómez, actor, singer, producer Rebecca Lobo, basketball player, sports analyst Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. congressperson Ellen Ochoa, astronaut, engineer Anthony R. Jiménez, entrepreneur María Hinojosa, journalist Dennis Chávez, U.S. senator Oscar Muñoz, businessperson, CEO United Airlines Antonia Novello, surgeon general of the United States Geraldo Miguel Rivera, journalist Lin-Manuel Miranda, playwright, actor, director Alex Rodríguez, baseball player Rodolfo Anaya, novelist Desi Arnaz, television producer, actor, singer Jessica Mendoza, sportscaster, softball player Nydia Velásquez, U.S. congressperson Edward James Olmos, actor Marco Rubio, U.S. senator Rita Moreno, actor, dancer César Chávez, labor leader Marcelo Claure, businessperson, former Sprint CEO Ariel Dorfman, playwright, novelist Miriam Colón, actress, theater owner, producer Joaquín Castro, chair of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus And many, many more! While Latinos are among both the original and newest immigrants, today the majority of U.S. Latinos were born here and most speak English—although most are bilingual to one degree or another. Their influence on the economy and culture continues to increase. Their impact on the United States has been wide-ranging. Salsa has even overtaken ketchup to become the most popular condiment in the United States! Devoted to illustrating the moving and often lost history of Latinos in America, Latino Almanac is a unique and valuable resource. Numerous photographs and illustrations, a helpful bibliography, a timeline, and an extensive index add to its usefulness. Commemorating and honoring Latino achievements, honors, and influence, this important book brings to light all there is to admire and discover about Latino Americans!
There is a wealth of published literature in English by Latin American women writers, but such material can be difficult to locate due to the lack of available bibliographic resources. In addition, the various types of published narrative (short stories, novels, novellas, autobiographies, and biographies) by Latin American women writers has increased significantly in the last ten to fifteen years. To address the lack of bibliographic resources, Kathy Leonard has compiled Latin American Women Writers: A Resource Guide to Titles in English. This reference includes all forms of narrative-short story, autobiography, novel, novel excerpt, and others-by Latin American women dating from 1898 to 2007. More than 3,000 individual titles are included by more than 500 authors. This includes nearly 200 anthologies, more than 100 autobiographies/biographies or other narrative, and almost 250 novels written by more than 100 authors from 16 different countries. For the purposes of this bibliography, authors who were born in Latin America and either continue to live there or have immigrated to the United States are included. Also, titles of pieces are listed as originally written, in either Spanish or Portuguese. If the book was originally written in English, a phrase to that effect is included, to better reflect the linguistic diversity of narrative currently being published. This volume contains seven indexes: Authors by Country of Origin, Authors/Titles of Work, Titles of Work/Authors, Autobiographies/Biographies and Other Narrative, Anthologies, Novels and Novellas in Alphabetical Order by Author, and Novels and Novellas by Authors' Country of Origin. Reflecting the increase in literary production and the facilitation of materials, this volume contains a comprehensive listing of narrative pieces in English by Latin American women writers not found in any other single volume currently on the market. This work of reference will be of special interest to scholars, students, and instructors interested in narrative works in English by Latin American women authors. It will also help expose new generations of readers to the highly creative and diverse literature being produced by these writers.
Combining pieces of nonfiction, fiction, and parody, this collection of writing reflects contemporary women's lives as they struggle with coming of age, relationships, and parenthood.
A Study Guide for Beatriz Rivera's "African Passions," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.
