 as a bilingual that this format draws more attention to itself in its didactics than his previous style, making me very aware of its usage and taking me out of the story, not a desirable literary feature.
Notwithstanding its peccadillo, do check out X-Rated Bloodsuckers. Then you will also learn what tapetum lucidum means.
If you enjoy investigative reporting--hard facts and wonderful trivia--this book is a must. It's historical in that it details anomalies like the rise and demise of Elvis-velvet paintings, and it is insightful in the wealth of personal narrative Quinones collected over many years of communicating with Mexican immigrants.
In our ignorant era of anti-immigrant hate-propaganda, billions-for-border-patrols and the attempted elimination of U.S. bilingualism, I have an added reason you should check this very readable book: because you work with mexicanos. I recommend this book (plus his True Tales From Another Mexico) to those of you--Chicano or otherwise--who need to know more about the mexicanitos you teach, the immigrant families you service or the expatriated machos you sell to.
Face it: Americans, including Chicanos, don't really have much prior knowledge about the mexicano. We have stereotyped ideas about why they came, what their aspirations are, what they hope their children's futures will be.
For instance, my previous assumption was that many mexicanos who send money back to Mexico will return or retire there. I even had a student this year who repeatedly retorted to my criticizing her poor attendance with, "My dad says we're going back to Mexico one day, anyway."
It's only from Quinones' book that I learned how and why this aspiration has instead resulted in Mexican ghost towns filled with custom-built homes financed by immigrant dollars, homes that are occupied maybe twice a year by expatriates whose ties to the motherland weaken with each year they spend in the U.S. Many become permanent residents of their adopted country.
This knowledge led to my adjusting discussions with immigrant parents about their kids' schoolwork. One parent was surprised I knew so much about Zacateca migration, about his upgrading his home there, about my prediction that he might never return with his family--all things garnered from an informative read of Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream.
Visit Quinones's website for more information.
But this is one of the most captivating, literary novels I've read in years.
Set against a thematic backdrop of historical figure Nahui Olin (the mesmerizing cover photo), Like Son feels like a novel only a Chicano, una mujer escandalosa as Lemus calls herself, could write. That it is considered a jewel in the transgender circuit unfortunately may mean many in the Chicano-reader world will never enjoy the experience of Lemus's great writing.
Yes, even a homophobe will find considerable merit in the well-developed, complicated plotting in this coming-of-age story that engaged this hetero from beginning to end. And you won't even have to set aside your abhorrence of lesbo scenes. This is one fine work.
The novel and author have been greatly praised by the literary world and there's no point in my attempting to outdo them. Check her website or the publisher's for yourself.
Fourth: Wings Press, publishers of Cecile Pineda's Redoubt, describe her book like this: "Imagine Woody Allen, Lewis Carroll and John Barth with a feminist surrealist twist." From my read, I'd suggest something more like: "Imagine Paul Auster, Samuel Beckett and a flashback of your best mescaline trip, through a totally female introspection."
This book is heavy on the experimental, as it's called. Plus, if you can't spell existentialism, if you easily tire of free-flowing prose, however well presented, and if you'd rather be story-led in the manner of Acevedo's publishers, stay away from this one.
But if you're a writer or a serious reader, looking for prose that t
If I'd read that, I doubt I'd ever have opened its pages. Again, to differ with the publishers, here's my version: "Told through the mind of one unfathomable woman permanently relegated to warn of imminent invasion by the Enemy, Redoubt will carry you into an emotional maelstrom where Apocalypse would seem like liberation, in contrast to the heroine's timeless solitude. Enmeshed in an existence more Huit Clos than Sisyphus's most dreaded nightmare, it will carry your unwilling Self into niches of life never described in any dictionary."
Redoubt is a road many readers--forget about just Chicanos--wouldn't want to take. Of course, many of us have no idea what the labors of childbirth or the daily grind of repressed-but-one-day-liberated females might be like, either. We males would not be lesser males for learning about that. Redoubt takes you there; it is as close as I've ever come to "being one" with a woman, through the pages of a book.
You can find out more about Cecile Pineda and her other works at.
That's enough for a return post. If you're one of our readers who has no life and nothing better to do on Father's Day, I'd be interested in comments about my approach to these works. Of course if you have a life, please go enjoy that, instead.
5 comments:.
Informative takes on four diverse books. And, c'mon, have we come to expect more from RAYO. Their books (mostly) are not designed for el Pueblo, rather those readers who don't want to get their hands y lenguas dirty...
Rudy! Welocme back! And yes, your macho rep is still intact, despite the fact the you were moved by a compelling story about trans identity and the struggle to be oneself.
(Vato, I still suspect that there's a smooth soft center underneath that crusty carnal exterior, Mr.I-teach-grammar-school-kids and-go-the extra-mile.)
Welcome back Rudy! Love your pensamientos on these books!
You owe me a tequila...
Sol
What do you mean you suck at reviewing? I prefer reading your thoughts on books than most of the "professional" reviewers out there. Welcome back!As some of you may know: Google updated their Developer Program Policy, so now i.e. notification ads are banned. In my case (some old, simple Java apps) it means huge lost of income.
So I have question about free apps on Google Play: is there any more profitable / reliable method for Construct 2, than using MoPub with AdMob?Making a “Cuppa Brothy” the norm? It wasn’t always. Here’s our top 8 tips for making the impossible a reality.
Not so many years ago the thought of drinking bone broth, let alone getting our kids to drink it, seemed like the impossible. But today we can say that the impossible is now a reality and our children can sit and enjoy a warm “Cuppa Brothy”.
We have found that the biggest hurdle when instigating changes like this with your family is yourself. Time and time again we realised that we need to start with ourselves. Like Gandhi’s famous words, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Then we can only hope that our children and loved ones will look to us as role models and spark the movement towards something new. Now that we enjoy this nourishing essential, our children have been able to take it on board.
Here are our Top 8 Tips for getting your family to share a love for bone broth.
Be Open to understanding the nutritional benefits of this essential pillar of health. “With knowledge comes awareness and with awareness comes change.” Read more about the nutritional benefits here.
Face Your Fears. Quite often our own judgement and perception can block our openness to learn, understand and embrace the benefits and importance of any lifestyle change. This is a major road block in itself. Once we face our fears we can feel empowered to step out of our comfort zone and make a change.
Connect To Your Roots. Talk to your Grandparents or Great Grandparents about bone broth. Do they remember a pot of bone broth simmering on the stove? Do they remember the jelly broth in the fridge? What did they use it for? What are their memories? Seeking this knowledge from our ancestors allows us to reconnect with our culture and heritage which provides more meaning and purpose to the practice.
Share Your Knowledge.  Explain it as it is. Why is bone broth good for our bodies? Where does it come from and how is it made? Emphasise the ethical values around using the entire animal.
Start Slowly. Every family is different. If you are at the end of the spectrum and feel you have no change of anyone in your family sitting down to a ‘cuppa brothy’, don’t start there. Add bone broths to all of your cooking… soups, stews, gravies, veggies. Let your children see the way you make it and use it.
Experiment with Flavour. The simple addition of salt and butter to a warm cuppa bothy converts this culinary medium to a nourishing taste sensation and sheds light on making the impossible a reality. Try adding mixed dried herbs or wakame & miso. Our lastest fav flavour of turmeric