Latino Book Club will meet on Saturday, March 27th at 3PM at Pomegranate Books to discuss Marie Arana's Cellophane.
Hear Marie Arana deliver the 2008 Key Note Address at the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the Library of Congress.
Marie Arana will visit UNCW on Thursday, March 25th. She is scheduled to give a talk at the Lumina Theater at 1PM. Her books American Chica, Cellophane, and Lima Nights will be available for sale and signing.
Discussion Questions
1. Nature vs. Man
The novel comments on Man's desire to control and exploit nature. The indigenous cultures of the Amazon live in harmony with nature. Victor Sobrevilla also has a give and take relationship with nature. He is not like the "termite" people nor like the rubber barons. He is not greedy, and therefore survives the Amazon, till he does.
2. Urban v. Amazon
This is a theme that is repeated a lot in the 19th century literature of Latin America. The debate "civilizacion y barbarie." The city is the center of Culture and decorum, controlled by the European creole population, and the Amazon is the habitat of the indigenous people, who are considered savage by the city dwellers.
3. Truth v. Secret
The distinction made by Yorumba. It is not a plague of telling the truth, it is a plague of telling secrets of desire. Truth is explained by the shaman, as something bigger.
4. Importance of history
Latin Americans look into their history, lineage to prove themselves. It is therefore important to have no scandals in your family history. Victor Sobrevilla questions this notion. He is what he is because he has worked hard for it, and therefore his father's questionable acts, and his death do not define him. Elsa, who is unable to understand this notion, unfortunately goes mad.
5. Desire?
Is it wrong to desire? Is it wrong to achieve more? When is it enough?
March 28th, 2010
Latino Book Club met yesterday at Pomegranate Books to discuss Marie Arana's Cellophane. It is a rather charming novel about the turmoils in the Sobrevilla-Francisco family, living in the paper making hacienda of Floralinda in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon. Arana who lived part of her life in the Amazon, brings to life the way-of-life in the hacienda, and also the cultures of the indigenous cultures.
There is a definite romantic element about situating a novel in the deep Amazon, but it refrains from exoticism. Living in the jungle is hard, yet Victor Sobrevilla is able to create a world with the basic needs available to the city dweller. He is smart enough to live in harmony with nature, taking his building materials from his environment, to build his house, and the paper created in his factory. There is an environmental message that engulfs the narrative. Anything in excess, or exploiting nature is seen as harmful, and cause of destruction. The indigenous cultures, in general are suspect of the white people who come from the city. They are the termite people, as they eat away the habitat of the people living in the jungle. Victor Sobrevilla is able to maintain a harmonious relationship with his environment for a long time, till his desire to make Cellophane becomes a reality. Victor Sobrevilla is befriended by a shaman, who respects the engineer, and tries to help him as much as possible.
The narrative abounds with magical realism. The very first use of it is the death of Miguelito and the dog. Miguelito, a young orphan is able to liberate the sick dog of his unstoppable cough by taking in his illness. (I am reminded of the Green Mile). Eventually they both die. This may be seen as an omen for things to come, or as the section title says the "Plague of Tongue." The coughing dog was a big distraction for everyone in the Sobrevilla-Francisco household. Its annoying sound brought everything to a standstill. The ceasing of the cough comes as a relief to all, and almost like a liberation. Padre Bernardo's unsolicited confession of having had an sexual affair with a woman, is the beginning of everyone liberating themselves of their deepest secrets. It seems to give everyone else the right to confess and free themselves of the secret they have so long tried to maintain. Doña Marina, Victor Sobrevilla, Tía Esther, Jaime, and Ignacio all openly speak up. The decorum maintained by this family, an appearance of civility is gone. On one hand, the fact that the family lives outside what is considered the normal center of civilization, the city, allows for this break down. In the jungle the people are free of the constant prying eyes of the "civilized" world. The Judeo-Christian concept of sin does not exist in this world, even though the people of Amazon have their own way of understanding excess. Victor Sobrevilla, a man of this "civilized" world understands decorum and tries his best to regain it, in spite of his own failings. Elsa Márquez, the only outsider is unable to take in all the impropriety of her father-in-law's affairs and his Chinese ancestry, and her mother-in-law's secret of being born of a priest. She goes mad, and seeks to return to the city.
The outing of secrets and desires also bring to light a constant issue that we see in Latin American and Latino novels, the question of lineage. Chinese were brought to the country to work as coolies in guano factories, and hence the name "Shit Shoveler." Interracial marriages with the Chinese is not seen as respectful in this world, just like marrying indigenous or black. The only character who openly accepts her Chinese heritage is Tía Esther, the single octogenarian.
The novel has a lot to offer and brings to question many issues. Even though progress and achieving engineering feats are seen as amazing, but desire in excess is seen as harmful. All that seems to matter at the end is family.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
February 2010: Raining Backwards
Latino Book Club will meet on Saturday, February 27th at 3pm at Pomegranate Books to discuss the Cuban American author, Roberto G. Fernández's Raining Backwards.
Discussion Questions
1. Exile
2. Magical Realism (the use of supernatural or magic, but presented and accepted as if part of the natural realm).
3. The non-chronological narration
4. Satire
5.The craziest character
6. Female sexuality
Thank you Olga for coming out on Saturday. I almost thought I was going to be the only one there. I really enjoyed the discussion; we of course talked of so many things other than the book. Here is a short snippet of the many things we spoke of:
Exile
Roberto G. Fernández’s Raining Backwards captures the predicament of the Cuban exile very well. Even though the Cubans are satirized and their follies exposed, the novel brings alive the pain and anger of the Cubans who were deposed of their home with no possibility to return home. The two stories (which is what one may refer to the chapters in this novel, because of their completeness) that refer to a return to Cuba, end in irony- “Raining Backwards” and “Tatiana.” The former, which is also the title of the novel, is the story of the universal hope of man to die in his own home. Magical Realism, which is a technique used by Fernández many a times, is used to find in the harsh reality that magical moment, which allows us to keep believing. The latter tale is of Manny, now completely blind (even though in the first story he gets his sight back, thanks to the magical sap from the very angry Mr. Olsen's tree, also another example of Fernández use of Magical Realism) wanting to at least be able to face Cuba, even though he can’t see it any more. Both the tales are of a grandparent and grandchild; the younger one does not yet understand or realize why the elder wants to return to Cuba so badly. In “Raining Backwards” the grandchild understands, once he grows old and becomes a grand parent himself, and death approaches.
Discussion Questions
1. Exile
2. Magical Realism (the use of supernatural or magic, but presented and accepted as if part of the natural realm).
3. The non-chronological narration
4. Satire
5.The craziest character
6. Female sexuality
Thank you Olga for coming out on Saturday. I almost thought I was going to be the only one there. I really enjoyed the discussion; we of course talked of so many things other than the book. Here is a short snippet of the many things we spoke of:
Exile
Roberto G. Fernández’s Raining Backwards captures the predicament of the Cuban exile very well. Even though the Cubans are satirized and their follies exposed, the novel brings alive the pain and anger of the Cubans who were deposed of their home with no possibility to return home. The two stories (which is what one may refer to the chapters in this novel, because of their completeness) that refer to a return to Cuba, end in irony- “Raining Backwards” and “Tatiana.” The former, which is also the title of the novel, is the story of the universal hope of man to die in his own home. Magical Realism, which is a technique used by Fernández many a times, is used to find in the harsh reality that magical moment, which allows us to keep believing. The latter tale is of Manny, now completely blind (even though in the first story he gets his sight back, thanks to the magical sap from the very angry Mr. Olsen's tree, also another example of Fernández use of Magical Realism) wanting to at least be able to face Cuba, even though he can’t see it any more. Both the tales are of a grandparent and grandchild; the younger one does not yet understand or realize why the elder wants to return to Cuba so badly. In “Raining Backwards” the grandchild understands, once he grows old and becomes a grand parent himself, and death approaches.
Language
Fernández loves to play with language, especially the silly translations into English, which only make sense if you are familiar with Spanish. “Vacillation” (vacilón-Having fun), “The Good Night” (La Noche Buena- Christmas Eve), the reference to the city in Cuba, Cienfuegos as the city of Hundred Fires are a few of the examples. The cultural references many a times, can only be understood by someone familiar with literature from the Spanish speaking cultures, for example the letter found on the dead body of Connie. The poem is the English translation of the 17th century Mexican poet Sor Juana de la Inés’ well known “hombres necios,” but there abounds other cultural references to American popular literature as well, for example the reference to Superman. The Olsens are no other than Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s lady love and pal respectively.
Non-linear narrative and development of characters
The novel does not follow a linear narrative, and has to be read in its totality to find the connections. It is almost like a jig-saw puzzle, keeping the reader on his or her toes, keeping the reader engaged. For those who do not like non-linear narrative there are stories which can be enjoyed just by themselves. There are so many crazy characters that one can enjoy the short vignettes, but it is fun to find out the whole story about them, even though it means reading bits and pieces, and many a times going backwards. Mirta Vergara is certainly my favorite. She is a character who embodies so many characteristics. Mirta like all the exiles wishes to return home, and in the impossibility of the situation prefers to re-create Cuba, with cat-litter and Alka-Seltzer in her own bath-room. Nostalgia is taken over by fiction, as Varadero beach becomes the site of her incomplete life. Telling the young Eloy tales of Cuba is like foreplay, which becomes a necessity to remain connected to Cuba. Her imagined rape by Eloy and later by other men are projections of her frustration enveloped in a sexual fantasy. It is so interesting that every time she tells one of her girl-friends about her rape, they just take it in like another story they tell each other with no consequences.
The novel has so much to offer and is certainly gives so much food for thought about exile, and the Latinos in the United States. Americans and their racist attitudes are also satirized. Female sexuality in the Cuban and the American culture is scrutinized. You can laugh out loud or simply let out a loud sigh. Fernández, of course a product of this culture knows what he writes, but he simply gets into their heads. I am reading this novel after a long time and I seem to enjoy it more. Maybe not the prefect book to be taught in high-school, but certainly great for the university class-room!
Friday, January 8, 2010
January 2010: Caramelo
Feliz Año Nuevo to everyone!
We are starting our third year of the Latino Book Club, and we hope to continue to grow stronger with our love for books and the Latino culture.
Latino Book Club just concluded its first community project Book Drive 2009 in December 2009 collecting books for three local schools and their ESL programs. We are looking forward to doing many more projects involving reading and literacy and the Wilmington Latino Community. Please write back if you have ideas or want to volunteer.
As we begin this new year we will be reading Sandra Cisnero's multi-generational saga Caramelo.
We will meet on January 30th at 3PM at our favorite local book-store Pomegranate Books on the corner of Park and Kerr Avenue.
January 31st, 2010
Thanks to Lauren, and Lizzy for coming out yesterday on the awful day. We had a wonderful discussion along with the Mexican pastries and music. We overall liked the book. Neither of us had finished. Lauren of course was almost near the end. I had finished only the second part, and another 200 pages to go. Lizzy is in the second part. We all plan to finish the book, before we start the next one.
Discussion starters:
1. Who is your favorite character (other than Soledad/Awful Grandmother) and why?
Although we did not have one particular character to talk about, as there are so many and all have their own little interesting detail, but we did have a little chat about the nick-names. Of course it just seems to be part of the Mexican culture to have nick-names, if not a shortened form of your own name, something that emerges from either your physical attribute (or deformity as Lizzy puts it) or your personality. The use of the names in English-Awful grandmother, Baby, Fat Face, Light-Skinned, Little Grandfather, Uncle Old-seem rather odd. We did translate back some of them and they make sense-Niño, Güera, abuelito, Tío viejo, but the others we were stumped. The use of English serves two purposes, the reader for one may enjoy the meaning in English, and the bilingual reader can translate as we did. The other I see, is the little narrator Celaya and maybe her other US born siblings and cousins use to refer to the older folks, like a secret language.
2. The Awful Grandmother (she is a category herself)
The Awful Grandmother isn't that awful after all, or at least the term seems an exaggeration. The bossy nature is obvious in the first part of the novel, but one comes to realize that she was not always like that. Soledad, the grandmother, comes from a very humble background who was seduced by the son of the family she worked for. She would have had to be a single mother, if it hadn't been for her father-in-law/master, who forced his son to make it right, by marrying her. Of course she may have risen in social ranks, but she never received his amorous attention, which was reserved for other women. It is simply ironic that the woman who came from such humble backgrounds does not sympathize with other women with similar backgrounds, rather she is very judgmental. She is racist; she makes it very clear that the native Americans are lower than her. She is certainly classist; she mythifies her husband's Spanish family to her advantage. She proclaims that she is part of the noble lineage of the Reyes (from her husband's side, because her own family also Reyes, were humble weavers, who made rebozos). In her fight with her daughter-in-law she accuses Zoila of being Mexican-American, and therefore not a true Mexican, who had risen in social status by marrying Inocencio.
The second part of the novel, where the narrator Lala recounts the tale of the grand-mother's history, it becomes obvious in the conversations she is having with her grandmother that she is portraying Soledad as a bitter angry matriarch simply because it makes for a better story.
3. The rebozo
We did not discuss the 'rebozo' per se, but it was interesting to talk about the term 'caramelo,' which is used for the rebozo, and also for the skin color of many Mexicans, referring to their Native American blood. Lizzy, does not remember ever having heard the word 'caramelo' being used for what in U.S. Spanish is used for either 'caramel' or 'sweet.' She remembers the term 'cajeta' a kind of candy (from Celaya) to refer to the color/candy of the caramel color. Therefore it is interesting that 'caramelo' is used.
We had a few theories: 'caramelo' is more for a US audience, a cognate, it sounds better to a English reader, and the association with the sweetness or the 'exoticism' of the skin color is much more attractive than say 'cajeta.'
Another theory on my part is that she is trying to stretch the 'caramelo' reference from the rebozo to many other things. The narrator talks about a special kind of rebozo, which her great-grand-mother was making right before she died, and was then passed onto to Soledad. The color combination of the rebozo, led to its name of 'caramelo.'
4. The telling of Mexican history
The notes at the end of each chapter provide a great amount of information about Mexican History and Culture. Lauren, found them annoying as by the time she reached the end she had already forgotten what was the note about and therefore didn't read them. I think the fact that the notes are at the end of the chapter allows for the option to be read by the reader if interested, if not, it does not hinder the reading of the main story. A foot-note can be much more distracting. Lizzy felt that the notes told a lot about Mexican history and culture without making the reader feel ignorant. The anecdotal quality makes them fun to read on the side. Also Cisneros or the narrator is able to bring together many cultural icons and images into the narrative. Lizzy, of course being of Mexican ascendancy was able to identify many of the images, and the music that she hated when young, now has a greater appreciation for. She also had some music to go with our discussion to show what it must have felt in the story, when they were either singing or listening to the songs.
5. Spanglish
Of course the novel is sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, but most of them are either explained or translated within the narrative, which I hoped wasn't going to be too much. In the third part, Lauren observes it gets worse. As a bilingual reader, I of course would have enjoyed it if the Spanish were just left the way they are, without a translation, but I can understand Sandra Cisneros wouldn't sell. She is after all one of the few Latina authors to have success in the anglo-phone market because she used a more 'standard' English in her first book The House on the Mango Street. But it is also interesting to note that she uses direct phrase which she does not translate-'God squeezes, but does not drown' (Dios apreta pero no ahorca), or 'Without mother, without father, without even a dog to bark' (She uses the Spanish idiom in the title of the same chapter-22).
We are starting our third year of the Latino Book Club, and we hope to continue to grow stronger with our love for books and the Latino culture.
Latino Book Club just concluded its first community project Book Drive 2009 in December 2009 collecting books for three local schools and their ESL programs. We are looking forward to doing many more projects involving reading and literacy and the Wilmington Latino Community. Please write back if you have ideas or want to volunteer.
As we begin this new year we will be reading Sandra Cisnero's multi-generational saga Caramelo.
We will meet on January 30th at 3PM at our favorite local book-store Pomegranate Books on the corner of Park and Kerr Avenue.
January 31st, 2010
Thanks to Lauren, and Lizzy for coming out yesterday on the awful day. We had a wonderful discussion along with the Mexican pastries and music. We overall liked the book. Neither of us had finished. Lauren of course was almost near the end. I had finished only the second part, and another 200 pages to go. Lizzy is in the second part. We all plan to finish the book, before we start the next one.
Discussion starters:
1. Who is your favorite character (other than Soledad/Awful Grandmother) and why?
Although we did not have one particular character to talk about, as there are so many and all have their own little interesting detail, but we did have a little chat about the nick-names. Of course it just seems to be part of the Mexican culture to have nick-names, if not a shortened form of your own name, something that emerges from either your physical attribute (or deformity as Lizzy puts it) or your personality. The use of the names in English-Awful grandmother, Baby, Fat Face, Light-Skinned, Little Grandfather, Uncle Old-seem rather odd. We did translate back some of them and they make sense-Niño, Güera, abuelito, Tío viejo, but the others we were stumped. The use of English serves two purposes, the reader for one may enjoy the meaning in English, and the bilingual reader can translate as we did. The other I see, is the little narrator Celaya and maybe her other US born siblings and cousins use to refer to the older folks, like a secret language.
2. The Awful Grandmother (she is a category herself)
The Awful Grandmother isn't that awful after all, or at least the term seems an exaggeration. The bossy nature is obvious in the first part of the novel, but one comes to realize that she was not always like that. Soledad, the grandmother, comes from a very humble background who was seduced by the son of the family she worked for. She would have had to be a single mother, if it hadn't been for her father-in-law/master, who forced his son to make it right, by marrying her. Of course she may have risen in social ranks, but she never received his amorous attention, which was reserved for other women. It is simply ironic that the woman who came from such humble backgrounds does not sympathize with other women with similar backgrounds, rather she is very judgmental. She is racist; she makes it very clear that the native Americans are lower than her. She is certainly classist; she mythifies her husband's Spanish family to her advantage. She proclaims that she is part of the noble lineage of the Reyes (from her husband's side, because her own family also Reyes, were humble weavers, who made rebozos). In her fight with her daughter-in-law she accuses Zoila of being Mexican-American, and therefore not a true Mexican, who had risen in social status by marrying Inocencio.
The second part of the novel, where the narrator Lala recounts the tale of the grand-mother's history, it becomes obvious in the conversations she is having with her grandmother that she is portraying Soledad as a bitter angry matriarch simply because it makes for a better story.
3. The rebozo
We did not discuss the 'rebozo' per se, but it was interesting to talk about the term 'caramelo,' which is used for the rebozo, and also for the skin color of many Mexicans, referring to their Native American blood. Lizzy, does not remember ever having heard the word 'caramelo' being used for what in U.S. Spanish is used for either 'caramel' or 'sweet.' She remembers the term 'cajeta' a kind of candy (from Celaya) to refer to the color/candy of the caramel color. Therefore it is interesting that 'caramelo' is used.
We had a few theories: 'caramelo' is more for a US audience, a cognate, it sounds better to a English reader, and the association with the sweetness or the 'exoticism' of the skin color is much more attractive than say 'cajeta.'
Another theory on my part is that she is trying to stretch the 'caramelo' reference from the rebozo to many other things. The narrator talks about a special kind of rebozo, which her great-grand-mother was making right before she died, and was then passed onto to Soledad. The color combination of the rebozo, led to its name of 'caramelo.'
4. The telling of Mexican history
The notes at the end of each chapter provide a great amount of information about Mexican History and Culture. Lauren, found them annoying as by the time she reached the end she had already forgotten what was the note about and therefore didn't read them. I think the fact that the notes are at the end of the chapter allows for the option to be read by the reader if interested, if not, it does not hinder the reading of the main story. A foot-note can be much more distracting. Lizzy felt that the notes told a lot about Mexican history and culture without making the reader feel ignorant. The anecdotal quality makes them fun to read on the side. Also Cisneros or the narrator is able to bring together many cultural icons and images into the narrative. Lizzy, of course being of Mexican ascendancy was able to identify many of the images, and the music that she hated when young, now has a greater appreciation for. She also had some music to go with our discussion to show what it must have felt in the story, when they were either singing or listening to the songs.
5. Spanglish
Of course the novel is sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, but most of them are either explained or translated within the narrative, which I hoped wasn't going to be too much. In the third part, Lauren observes it gets worse. As a bilingual reader, I of course would have enjoyed it if the Spanish were just left the way they are, without a translation, but I can understand Sandra Cisneros wouldn't sell. She is after all one of the few Latina authors to have success in the anglo-phone market because she used a more 'standard' English in her first book The House on the Mango Street. But it is also interesting to note that she uses direct phrase which she does not translate-'God squeezes, but does not drown' (Dios apreta pero no ahorca), or 'Without mother, without father, without even a dog to bark' (She uses the Spanish idiom in the title of the same chapter-22).
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
October 2009: Creepy Creautres and Other Cucuys
Latino Book Club will meet on October 31st to discuss Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys at Pomegranate Books at 3pm.
Some questions for us to ponder upon:
1. Which creepy story is your favorite?
Irene's favorite was "The Lechuza Lady" were the husband refuses to listen to his wife and insists on going out to drink. The Lechuza (Owl) lady is the angry mother of a son killed by a drunk driver. MADD might have a Mexican tale supporting their efforts.
Cathy still remembers her grandfather scaring them as children with scratching of this nails. Many of the tales in the collection have the hand of the dead man coming through the wall to get his victim.
2. Have heard or read another version of these tales?
Speaking of versions, to begin with Olga pointed out that in her native country, Mexico the term used for "things that go bump in the night" is "Cuco" and not "Cucuys," the term used on this side of the Rio Grande.
Of course Llorona, which has two versions in the collection is probably one of the most popular folk myth of the mother looking for her dead children. The version that I have heard is of a mother with no help, single and poor, unable to care for her children, kills them out of desperation and then kills herself. Her spirit haunts looking for her children and crying for them. She picks up living children claiming to be hers. So a tale used by parents to warn their kids of the dangers of wandering away.
It is also interesting to read Sandra Cisneros "Woman Hollering Creek" the story in the collection of the same name, which deconstructs the lamenting, crying woman "Llorona" to the hollering woman "Gritona."
The Chupacabra is more of a mythical figure and more popular in Puerto Rico, where animals are feared to be killed by these strange creatures.
3. Do you know of similar tales from other cultures?
Llorona, the woman who steals children, is a common theme in other cultures: Robachicos in Mexico, Boogey Man in the Anglo world.
In the Indian (Asian) culture as well I grew up listening to ghost stories, a part of many oral tradition cultures. They are ways to warn of things that we don't understand within our rational, logical way of life. They are how natural justice functions, a way of warning people to not stray from the path of justice.
The collection of stories is certainly written for kids, and the style is very simplistic, to the point of being just too simple. Yet it was a great conversation for Halloween and on the eve of Día de los muertos, when all dead people are invited back to the realm of the living.
I must mention this lullaby that Olga sung to us. Of course this would be considered completely inappropriate in the culture of the US.
"Duérmete mi niño
duérmete me ya
porque viene el cuco
ya te comerá."
Just in case you don't read Spanish:
"Sleep my child
Sleep now
because the cuco is coming
it will eat you up."
This is the last blog for this year. We will meet back up in January to start our third year. We will be reading Sandra Cisneros Caramelo.
Some questions for us to ponder upon:
1. Which creepy story is your favorite?
Irene's favorite was "The Lechuza Lady" were the husband refuses to listen to his wife and insists on going out to drink. The Lechuza (Owl) lady is the angry mother of a son killed by a drunk driver. MADD might have a Mexican tale supporting their efforts.
Cathy still remembers her grandfather scaring them as children with scratching of this nails. Many of the tales in the collection have the hand of the dead man coming through the wall to get his victim.
2. Have heard or read another version of these tales?
Speaking of versions, to begin with Olga pointed out that in her native country, Mexico the term used for "things that go bump in the night" is "Cuco" and not "Cucuys," the term used on this side of the Rio Grande.
Of course Llorona, which has two versions in the collection is probably one of the most popular folk myth of the mother looking for her dead children. The version that I have heard is of a mother with no help, single and poor, unable to care for her children, kills them out of desperation and then kills herself. Her spirit haunts looking for her children and crying for them. She picks up living children claiming to be hers. So a tale used by parents to warn their kids of the dangers of wandering away.
It is also interesting to read Sandra Cisneros "Woman Hollering Creek" the story in the collection of the same name, which deconstructs the lamenting, crying woman "Llorona" to the hollering woman "Gritona."
The Chupacabra is more of a mythical figure and more popular in Puerto Rico, where animals are feared to be killed by these strange creatures.
3. Do you know of similar tales from other cultures?
Llorona, the woman who steals children, is a common theme in other cultures: Robachicos in Mexico, Boogey Man in the Anglo world.
In the Indian (Asian) culture as well I grew up listening to ghost stories, a part of many oral tradition cultures. They are ways to warn of things that we don't understand within our rational, logical way of life. They are how natural justice functions, a way of warning people to not stray from the path of justice.
The collection of stories is certainly written for kids, and the style is very simplistic, to the point of being just too simple. Yet it was a great conversation for Halloween and on the eve of Día de los muertos, when all dead people are invited back to the realm of the living.
I must mention this lullaby that Olga sung to us. Of course this would be considered completely inappropriate in the culture of the US.
"Duérmete mi niño
duérmete me ya
porque viene el cuco
ya te comerá."
Just in case you don't read Spanish:
"Sleep my child
Sleep now
because the cuco is coming
it will eat you up."
This is the last blog for this year. We will meet back up in January to start our third year. We will be reading Sandra Cisneros Caramelo.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
September 2009: Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.
Latino Book Club will meet September 26th at 3 at Pomegranate Books, on the corner of Kerr and Park to discuss Luis Rodríguez' Always Running.
Topics for discussion, courtsey Irene:
1. How does family life influence the attraction of gang life to young adults.
2. How does education(or lack of) fail these young adults.
3.How did the walk-out change the LA schools.
4.What part did the L.A. police officers play in gang wars?
5.What changes occurred in Luis's life to change him.
Despite the rains we had Lizzy, Lauren and I meet at the cozy and comfy Pomegranate Books. Always Running was enjoyed by all of us. It is interesting how a personal life could read so much like a "novel."One just does not expect so much to happen to just one person. We all felt that Luis Rodriguez' life is certainly very inspirational and that he is what he is because he put his heart and mind into it. He may have had some help from some of the people in his life, but he made all the decisions to get out of the gang life. It does feel that he always had a way out-the violence was not that bad that one would have to die if they wanted out of it, as is the case in many instances.
Rodriguez' writing style is very fluid, and I don't want to use "poetic" because that conjures images of beauty. In this case, even though it is about violence and kids with no guidance and facing racism at every turn, there is this feeling of hope, a feeling of calm, that seems to emerge from the writing.
The comparison to Piri Thomas is of course inevitable as we read the book in our series and also because Rodriguez talks of it as one the books that changed his life. Thomas' style is much coarse and stylistically matches the street life he describes. Rodriguez does not take that route. L.A. in the 60s was certainly the time to be for the Chicano Movement. It was just the other side of the gangs. Gangs were groups to belong to, but acted out through violence and other anti-social behavior, where as MeCHA and the Chicano Movement in itself was another group to which one could belong and actually bring a change the way people see Mexican Americans and other ethnic minorities.
Also a note aside, Tía Chucha the crazy aunt, the inspirational aunt, is the name of Luis Rodriguez' Press which helps kids publish their writings and find an alternative to life. As Lauren, said, Rodriguez seems to begin with her and end with her. Tía Chucha is the outlet for all the craziness trapped inside of the young kids.
Next month we read Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys. This will be our way of celebrating the season! Read the newsletter.
Topics for discussion, courtsey Irene:
1. How does family life influence the attraction of gang life to young adults.
2. How does education(or lack of) fail these young adults.
3.How did the walk-out change the LA schools.
4.What part did the L.A. police officers play in gang wars?
5.What changes occurred in Luis's life to change him.
Despite the rains we had Lizzy, Lauren and I meet at the cozy and comfy Pomegranate Books. Always Running was enjoyed by all of us. It is interesting how a personal life could read so much like a "novel."One just does not expect so much to happen to just one person. We all felt that Luis Rodriguez' life is certainly very inspirational and that he is what he is because he put his heart and mind into it. He may have had some help from some of the people in his life, but he made all the decisions to get out of the gang life. It does feel that he always had a way out-the violence was not that bad that one would have to die if they wanted out of it, as is the case in many instances.
Rodriguez' writing style is very fluid, and I don't want to use "poetic" because that conjures images of beauty. In this case, even though it is about violence and kids with no guidance and facing racism at every turn, there is this feeling of hope, a feeling of calm, that seems to emerge from the writing.
The comparison to Piri Thomas is of course inevitable as we read the book in our series and also because Rodriguez talks of it as one the books that changed his life. Thomas' style is much coarse and stylistically matches the street life he describes. Rodriguez does not take that route. L.A. in the 60s was certainly the time to be for the Chicano Movement. It was just the other side of the gangs. Gangs were groups to belong to, but acted out through violence and other anti-social behavior, where as MeCHA and the Chicano Movement in itself was another group to which one could belong and actually bring a change the way people see Mexican Americans and other ethnic minorities.
Also a note aside, Tía Chucha the crazy aunt, the inspirational aunt, is the name of Luis Rodriguez' Press which helps kids publish their writings and find an alternative to life. As Lauren, said, Rodriguez seems to begin with her and end with her. Tía Chucha is the outlet for all the craziness trapped inside of the young kids.
Next month we read Xavier Garza's Creepy Creatures and Other Cucuys. This will be our way of celebrating the season! Read the newsletter.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
August 2009: The World in Half
Latino Book Club will meet August 29th to discuss Cristina Henríquez' The World in Half at 3PM at Francesco's Cafe.
Themes of discussion:
1. Daughter-Mother Relationship: In many of the books we have read, we find a typical/stereotypical Latina mother who will do anything for the child. The mother is the caring parent till the end. Here of course the mother is not Latina, but the roles seem to have reversed. The child is the caretaker. As the daughter is still very young, in her 20ies, it is a hard job, and the frustration comes through. It is certainly one of the first we have seen. For comparison sake here are some mother-daughter(child) relationships we have seen before: Geographies of Home, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, What Night Brings, Rain of Gold.
2. Child and the Missing Parent: I was almost mad at Mira for not looking for her father, and frolicking with the good-for-nothing Danilo, till Hernán and Danilo's concern about disappointment seem to calm my anxiety. It is interesting to read how Mira imagines her father's way of being.
3. Language: I thought it was interesting that the author includes Mira's Spanish limitations, even though writing in English, to constantly remind that the conversations are taking place in another language other than the one used to narrate them.
4. The Title: The World in Half refers to the Panama Canal dividing the Americas into 2 separate land masses, and Mira's life.
5. The Geographical Metaphors: Don't forget to take a look at the titles of each chapter. Earth's history and human history is a profound philosophical comparison.
Looking forward to other comments.
August 29th, 2009
Lauren, Lizzy, Irene, Cathy, Olga and I met at our usual meeting place. It was the last time at that place, as we had all noticed that the service had deteriorated, especially one of the server wasn't very "happy" to be there. So we decided that we would move to our initial intended place: The Pomegranate Books at the corner of Kerr and Park. Kathleen, the owner of the store kindly agreed to make the space available and also have the next months' book available for us to pick up when we meet there.
For ONCE, we all agreed that we all liked the book, although we had trouble with some things.
WHO IN HER RIGHT MIND GOES AND LIVES WITH TWO GUYS SHE DOES NOT KNOW! What did our mothers teach us about not speaking with strangers. In spite of the fact that Mira thinks that Danilo and his uncle are NICE people, one does not go and live with them.
Another that I had not put in the THEMES above, was Danilo. He got a lot of our talk-time. He seemed like a sweet guy and even though he comes across as the useless vagabond, but he redeems himself with his drawings, in abandonment tale, and of course the letters that he writes to Mira. It was refreshing to see that it does not end up in a clichéd "love-affair."
Irene thought that may Germán was the father! That was the reason he invited Mira. I guess Irene was trying to rationalize Mira's living with strange men.
We did have some disagreement with how the mother dealt with her affair and her family. Some said why didn't she leave her family and when she did why did she continue to be so hard and distant from the daughter and also Mira's real father. The others thought that it isn't easy for people to change completely, having been brought up in a style of living. I would think that Mira's grandparents weren't the best role models for Mira's mother, and hence we do not see any outward show of love.
Also, we thought her prose was beautiful. Henríquez has a style of writing which flows easily. Her geographical metaphors worked for some of us but not for all, but we were open to reading something by her.
Next time we will be reading Luis Rodríguez' Always Running. That will be a drastic change. The e-newsletter is available now.
Themes of discussion:
1. Daughter-Mother Relationship: In many of the books we have read, we find a typical/stereotypical Latina mother who will do anything for the child. The mother is the caring parent till the end. Here of course the mother is not Latina, but the roles seem to have reversed. The child is the caretaker. As the daughter is still very young, in her 20ies, it is a hard job, and the frustration comes through. It is certainly one of the first we have seen. For comparison sake here are some mother-daughter(child) relationships we have seen before: Geographies of Home, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, What Night Brings, Rain of Gold.
2. Child and the Missing Parent: I was almost mad at Mira for not looking for her father, and frolicking with the good-for-nothing Danilo, till Hernán and Danilo's concern about disappointment seem to calm my anxiety. It is interesting to read how Mira imagines her father's way of being.
3. Language: I thought it was interesting that the author includes Mira's Spanish limitations, even though writing in English, to constantly remind that the conversations are taking place in another language other than the one used to narrate them.
4. The Title: The World in Half refers to the Panama Canal dividing the Americas into 2 separate land masses, and Mira's life.
5. The Geographical Metaphors: Don't forget to take a look at the titles of each chapter. Earth's history and human history is a profound philosophical comparison.
Looking forward to other comments.
August 29th, 2009
Lauren, Lizzy, Irene, Cathy, Olga and I met at our usual meeting place. It was the last time at that place, as we had all noticed that the service had deteriorated, especially one of the server wasn't very "happy" to be there. So we decided that we would move to our initial intended place: The Pomegranate Books at the corner of Kerr and Park. Kathleen, the owner of the store kindly agreed to make the space available and also have the next months' book available for us to pick up when we meet there.
For ONCE, we all agreed that we all liked the book, although we had trouble with some things.
WHO IN HER RIGHT MIND GOES AND LIVES WITH TWO GUYS SHE DOES NOT KNOW! What did our mothers teach us about not speaking with strangers. In spite of the fact that Mira thinks that Danilo and his uncle are NICE people, one does not go and live with them.
Another that I had not put in the THEMES above, was Danilo. He got a lot of our talk-time. He seemed like a sweet guy and even though he comes across as the useless vagabond, but he redeems himself with his drawings, in abandonment tale, and of course the letters that he writes to Mira. It was refreshing to see that it does not end up in a clichéd "love-affair."
Irene thought that may Germán was the father! That was the reason he invited Mira. I guess Irene was trying to rationalize Mira's living with strange men.
We did have some disagreement with how the mother dealt with her affair and her family. Some said why didn't she leave her family and when she did why did she continue to be so hard and distant from the daughter and also Mira's real father. The others thought that it isn't easy for people to change completely, having been brought up in a style of living. I would think that Mira's grandparents weren't the best role models for Mira's mother, and hence we do not see any outward show of love.
Also, we thought her prose was beautiful. Henríquez has a style of writing which flows easily. Her geographical metaphors worked for some of us but not for all, but we were open to reading something by her.
Next time we will be reading Luis Rodríguez' Always Running. That will be a drastic change. The e-newsletter is available now.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 2009: Ask a Policeman: A Rafe Buenrostro Mystery
Latino Book Club will meet on July 25th to discuss Rolando Hinojosa's Ask a Policeman at 3 pm.
A rather different book from our earlier ones, yet a very pertinent one to the US-Mexico border issue, and an old one too. No, it is not immigration, it is drug-trafficking.This novel is of course much lighter than many of our earlier novels, even though it deals with a very serious problem of drug trafficking. Reading this novel, published in 1998 these days when the drug wars are at its height in Mexico, after the death of the main drug lord, makes it so real and current. A colleague of mine who specializes in Colombian literature, always reminds his students that the drug problem is not simply a Colombian issue, rather much closer to home, one in Mexico. Of course the problem is also very American where the market demands the trafficking. Reading this novel one may be reminded of the movie Traffic, which if you have not seen, is a must see among the Hollywood films about this topic (brilliant acting by Benicio del Toro and Michael Douglas). Of course in the movie the American side was led by a White American dealing with his own problems with a drug addicted daughter, unlike Rafe who is Mexican American, very much in tune with the Mexican culture.
It actually makes the novel humorous when Rafe and his Mexican counterpart play along with the American District Attorney, who is unaware of the cultural norm of exchanging pleasantries and asking about families' well being before jumping into business, unlike American mainstream culture which keeps personal out of business. I also enjoyed the fact that the Mexican Director of Public Order of Barrones is a woman. I look forward to hearing from the others about the characters Rafe Buenrostro and Lu Cetina.
25th July 2009
Latino Book Club members Lizzy, Cathy, Irene, and I met at our usual place and discussed Hinojosa's Ask a Policeman. We all agreed that it was an easy and fast read, just like a good detective novel should be. In spite of the fact that it was "light" the drug issue was very current. One thing that was pointed out was the senseless killing. The Goméz family go on a killing spree, which includes their own family. It tells of the complete lack of human connection in favor of making hordes of money quickly and illegaly. The arms that are used in the killings are coming from the United States as is the demand for drugs. The series of senseless killings is topped by the erotica-murder-suicide filmed by the Goméz son and delivered to the police. All this talk led us to discuss other books that depict such senseless killing, outside the drug world. Lizzy pointed out Teresa Rodríguez' Las hijas de Juárez. It is based on Rodríguez' investigative reporting of a true incident of multiple deaths of women in Juárez. You can read about it on Univision's Webpage.
Another book that takes a look at senseless mass killing is Jorge Ibargüengoitias Las muertas, a fictionalized story based on the brothel murders known as the "Las Poquianchis" incident in the state of Guanajato, Mexico. It uses dark humor to counter the macabre incident.
Although Olga wasn't there to initiate the topic she suggested about assimilation vs. acculturation, we did get to discuss it. Assimilate, which is a term defined in Cultural Studies as taking on the culture of the mainstream, leaving behind, or loosing one's original cultural habits. In cultural studies assimilation sees cultures in hierarchy, and therefore to assimilate is to consider one better than the other, and therefore has a negative connotation. This led to a very interesting observation by Cathy of involuntary assimilation vs. voluntary assimilation. She is Mexican American (although Cathy Murphy, does not say so, like millions of other Mexican Americans), but does not speak Spanish, something she says that she would love to speak and understand, but it was not a choice she made, nor one her parents did, who could not speak Spanish either. She sees herself assimilated, but perhaps, not by choice. On the other hand I spoke of how a graduate classmate of mine of Ecuadorian heritage would only speak in English to her kids, so they would assimilate with the mainstream US culture. Here is an example of voluntary assimilation, where the child who could have learnt Spanish and more of the Ecuadorian culture is denied the opportunity, even when it is easily accessible. If you have comments or thoughts, please comment.
Moving on to our next month, we will be reading Cristina Henríquez' The World in Half. You can read more about the book and the author in this months e-newsletter. This is the first Panamanian American author in our list. Also for fast readers, we wanted to let you know that in September we will be reading Luis Rogríguez' Always Running.
Happy readings!
A rather different book from our earlier ones, yet a very pertinent one to the US-Mexico border issue, and an old one too. No, it is not immigration, it is drug-trafficking.This novel is of course much lighter than many of our earlier novels, even though it deals with a very serious problem of drug trafficking. Reading this novel, published in 1998 these days when the drug wars are at its height in Mexico, after the death of the main drug lord, makes it so real and current. A colleague of mine who specializes in Colombian literature, always reminds his students that the drug problem is not simply a Colombian issue, rather much closer to home, one in Mexico. Of course the problem is also very American where the market demands the trafficking. Reading this novel one may be reminded of the movie Traffic, which if you have not seen, is a must see among the Hollywood films about this topic (brilliant acting by Benicio del Toro and Michael Douglas). Of course in the movie the American side was led by a White American dealing with his own problems with a drug addicted daughter, unlike Rafe who is Mexican American, very much in tune with the Mexican culture.
It actually makes the novel humorous when Rafe and his Mexican counterpart play along with the American District Attorney, who is unaware of the cultural norm of exchanging pleasantries and asking about families' well being before jumping into business, unlike American mainstream culture which keeps personal out of business. I also enjoyed the fact that the Mexican Director of Public Order of Barrones is a woman. I look forward to hearing from the others about the characters Rafe Buenrostro and Lu Cetina.
25th July 2009
Latino Book Club members Lizzy, Cathy, Irene, and I met at our usual place and discussed Hinojosa's Ask a Policeman. We all agreed that it was an easy and fast read, just like a good detective novel should be. In spite of the fact that it was "light" the drug issue was very current. One thing that was pointed out was the senseless killing. The Goméz family go on a killing spree, which includes their own family. It tells of the complete lack of human connection in favor of making hordes of money quickly and illegaly. The arms that are used in the killings are coming from the United States as is the demand for drugs. The series of senseless killings is topped by the erotica-murder-suicide filmed by the Goméz son and delivered to the police. All this talk led us to discuss other books that depict such senseless killing, outside the drug world. Lizzy pointed out Teresa Rodríguez' Las hijas de Juárez. It is based on Rodríguez' investigative reporting of a true incident of multiple deaths of women in Juárez. You can read about it on Univision's Webpage.
Another book that takes a look at senseless mass killing is Jorge Ibargüengoitias Las muertas, a fictionalized story based on the brothel murders known as the "Las Poquianchis" incident in the state of Guanajato, Mexico. It uses dark humor to counter the macabre incident.
Although Olga wasn't there to initiate the topic she suggested about assimilation vs. acculturation, we did get to discuss it. Assimilate, which is a term defined in Cultural Studies as taking on the culture of the mainstream, leaving behind, or loosing one's original cultural habits. In cultural studies assimilation sees cultures in hierarchy, and therefore to assimilate is to consider one better than the other, and therefore has a negative connotation. This led to a very interesting observation by Cathy of involuntary assimilation vs. voluntary assimilation. She is Mexican American (although Cathy Murphy, does not say so, like millions of other Mexican Americans), but does not speak Spanish, something she says that she would love to speak and understand, but it was not a choice she made, nor one her parents did, who could not speak Spanish either. She sees herself assimilated, but perhaps, not by choice. On the other hand I spoke of how a graduate classmate of mine of Ecuadorian heritage would only speak in English to her kids, so they would assimilate with the mainstream US culture. Here is an example of voluntary assimilation, where the child who could have learnt Spanish and more of the Ecuadorian culture is denied the opportunity, even when it is easily accessible. If you have comments or thoughts, please comment.
Moving on to our next month, we will be reading Cristina Henríquez' The World in Half. You can read more about the book and the author in this months e-newsletter. This is the first Panamanian American author in our list. Also for fast readers, we wanted to let you know that in September we will be reading Luis Rogríguez' Always Running.
Happy readings!
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