By Jo Ann Hernández 

Damas, Dramas and Ana Ruiz by Belinda Acosta tells the story of Ana Ruiz, an educated woman and mother of two children who discovered that her husband cheated on her and asked him to leave the house. Her daughter, Carmen, blames her mother for the breakup, and Ana believes that a Quinceañera ball will repair her relationship with her daughter.

Filed 1 de Febrero, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Zach is a senior but he's in rehab instead of high school. He doesn't remember how he got there. Remembering sucks and being alive - well, what's up with that?

The tale weaves through lessons challenging Zach as he undergoes therapy in rehab -- from learning to persevere in his resistance to his addiction to connecting with anyone at rehab.

Slowly, with little contribution from Zach, friendships evolve, and the tortured young man is slowly drawn out of himself to care about others, which eventually leads him to caring about himself.

You will gasp at the moment Zach finally reveals to himself and you just how he got to rehab.

As much as the reader may think this book could be depressing because of the subject matter involving addiction, the sensitive prose and heartfelt manner the author handles the character's journey of healing will touch the heart of any reader.

Last Night I sang to the Monster is Benjamin Alire Sáenz' third book for young adults (YA). His first YA novel - "Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood (Cinco PUntos Press, 2005) - was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. The American Library Association chose the same book as one of the Top Ten Books for Young Adults that same year. His second YA title, "He Forgot to Say Goodbye" (Simon & Schuster, 2008) won the Tomás Rivera Award.

Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 8 de Diciembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

What is a person to do when they find out all they believed for all of their life about their family, and especially their mother, is false? So lays the plot for Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo.

Gabriella Richards feels betrayed. Between her doting father in Hollywood and her grandmother's aristocratic family in Cali, Colombia, a few facts have been carefully hidden about her mother, whose tragic death shattered a seemingly picture-perfect marriage.

Gabriella, 21-years-old and now a classical pianist, has kept one foot in her grandmother's elegant, guarded world, visiting her every year. But one trip changes everything.

In a dusty closet in the faded mansion, Gabriella finds her mother's diary, written just for her. As Gabriella reads her mother's diary, she gets to know her mother, as never before, as page by page reveals shocking secrets long hidden from the young girl.

To complicate the roller coaster of emotions she feels, Gabriella meets a man she can't resist -- and who has dangerous secrets of his own.

Gabriella finds herself torn between learning what to honor about her past and how to accept what is the truth about her mother, her parent's marriage, and mostly, about herself.

Will she survive this intrusion of new facts that paint her past in a whole new light?

Leila Cobo, a major force in the Latin music industry, has written a powerful, sensuous, and moving debut novel about a young woman unearthing her mother's secrets and discovering truths of her own.

Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 8 de Diciembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Latino American Folktales: Stories from The American Mosaic edited by Thomas A. Green is designed to provide educators, students, and general readers with examples of a range of traditional Latino narratives: fictional tales, legends, myths, and personal experience.

Moreover, the examples in this anthology represent the cultural diversity that exists within the American Latino. 

Native North, Central, and South American influences are apparent in the Latino repertoire by virtue of the inclusion of characters such as "coyote" and "tigre" (Jaguar) in fictional tales, and by the incorporation of Native American historical figures such as Montezuma and Papantzin into the legend corpus.

Taking readers into the 21st Century, the Latino folktale repertoire continues to be enriched by infusions from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

These tales reflect the environment, cultural adaptations, and prevailing concerns of the respective areas from which they are drawn. The introductions to each tale comment on these issues. The concluding general bibliography provides additional resources for those readers who wish to explore these issues in greater depth.

The collection of 30 stories is divided into four sections: "Origins" encompasses those narratives that focus on beginnings and transformations: the creation of the world and its inhabitants, how animal species acquired their physical characterics, and how the family came to be here, for example.

"Heroes, Heroines, Villains, and Fools" presents a cross-section of major character types that populate Latino folktales. "Society and Conflict" contains considerations of social issues ranging from conventional morality to intergroup conflicts. Finally, "The Supernatural" concentrates on traditional tales of the dead, the magical, and the monstrous.

Regardless of the story, readers of all ages will not only enjoy the folktales, but at the same time, learn a little more about the rich cultural traditions that comprise Latino America.

Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 8 de Diciembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is said that unless the lessons of history are learned, a society is doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past -- and that is exactly what happens in the exciting tale America Libre by Raul Ramos y Sanchez.

Race relations between the two groups devolve into violence and fear whereby it's decided that everyone who is Hispanic, married to a Hispanic or has at least one grandparent of Hispanic origin is classified as "Class H" and forced into "special camps" to isolate them.

Against this backdrop, Manolo is hired by the enticing Jo and is drawn into the budding radical activist group, La Defensa del Pueblo, that she leads. La Defensa del Pueblo is a movement that seeks to re-do the borders between the United States and Mexico.

Manolo believes and fights for his right to be a provider for his family and a man who can walk tall. Yet, the support he needs is tainted when his wife becomes jealous over his involvement with the rich and exciting Jo.

Something happens to Manolo's wife and children that puts him in the crosshairs of a life-changing decision.

This futuristic, fast-paced tale will keep you absorbed until the last page. With the author's keen insight of past and present politics, America Libre, serves as a literary warning to what happens when extremism, from either side, forces its way into the national dialogue of race relations and immigration policy.

America Libre is the winner of the 2008 International Latino Book Award for Best Novel.

Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 8 de Diciembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

One longstanding tradition among Mexican-American families at Christmastime is making tamales. Usually a day-long event, each member of the family, from the youngest to the oldest, is assigned a special job to help make the process go faster and more fun.

Growing Up with Tamales, by Gwendolyn Zepeda is a bilingual tale published through Piñata Books and republished through Lorito Books. It is about one little girl's love of making tamales, if it weren't for one thing.

Six-year-old Ana loves helping her mother and big sister Lidia make tamales every Christmas. The only problem is that Ana wishes she was Lidia's age because it seems to Ana that Lidia always gets the better jobs.

As Ana imagines herself being as old as Lidia, she realizes that Lidia will always be older and have more responsibility when it comes to making tamales -- until they reach a certain age. Then things change and Ana has her own idea of how tamales will be made and who will have which jobs.

Growing Up with Tamales is a charming story that illustrates how a family tradition, like making tamales, lives on with family members growing either into new duties or making new traditions of their own.

A nice bonus feature of the book is the included CD. Denver stage actress Gabriela Cavallero's voice brings the rhythmic prose to life with her reading in English and Spanish.

"This book features bilingual tracks with page turn signals for emerging readers and without page turn signals for independent readers. It also includes English-only and Spanish-only tracks for 2nd language learners."

Filed 23 de Noviembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tyler is having a bad year. His grandfather died, then his father was in an accident and almost killed. Tyler's father will eventually recover, but not in time to save the farm. When Tyler comes back from a month-long visit with relatives, he discovers that his parents have hired three Mexicans to work the farm. His parents don't tell him the whole truth, and Tyler discovers that the Mexican workers are not citizens.

In addition, Tyler meets the three daughters of the workers; they are known as the "Three Maria's". The oldest, Mari, goes to school with Tyler. Tyler feels a strong friendship developing between him and Mari but he also finds himself struggling with knowing that Mari and the other Mexican workers are illegally in the country and what he should do about it.

"Return to Sender" by Julia Alvarez is a young adult novel, for ages 10 and up, that attempts to explain the life and struggles of undocumented Mexican families. Inspiration for the title comes from the actual dragnet operation that the Department of Homeland Security conducted in 2006 where work sites were raided and undocumented workers seized, often leaving their children behind until they could be reunited.

Julia Alvarez wisely constructs this dilemma with no real heroes or villains. Through the interactions of the three daughters, and mostly through Mari's letters, and Tyler's struggle to know what is the right or wrong thing to do, the reader experiences the strengths and positives of hard working people aiding a farmer in need. Readers also learn about which laws are crossed by both Mexican and American citizens to assist people on both sides of the border.

This story enlightens the reader to the real people involved in what is called the illegal immigration issue.

 Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 11 de Noviembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lupe de la Garza is a shopkeeper in a mountain village in Mexico. After seeing a sign from God in the smoke of a fire of the local church, she is on a quest to spread the word inspired by an altarpiece painted by the eighteenth century Franciscan friar who founded her village after fleeing the mysterious destruction of his California mission outpost.

Mystery, intrigue, the supernatural and suspense are woven into the tale of the Lost Mission by Athol Dickson. Told from the perspective of different characters bridging two hundred years, readers follow the characters whose religious faith not only touches their souls but dramatically changes their lives.

The plot's theme plays out in Lupe's life where while on her way to fulfill her mission she is distracted by desire for a young minister who rescues her from certain death in the Arizona desert, and where her faith is further tested when her preaching in a southern California beach town inspires only apathy and laughter.

Though the story bounces back and forth throughout the two hundred years, the writing is strong and clear and we never lose sight of the character's dilemmas or trials and the role their faith plays in their own lives.

For many, this God is a vengeful piety; for others, their God leads and forgives.

This story is not about the righteousness of God or the appropriateness of religion. Lost Mission leads the reader to think how faith can assist in bad times, in the worst of situations and even when forced to face our deepest fears within us.

Athol Dickson's writing is superb and takes us on a magical journey of faith where hope still flourishes.

Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 11 de Noviembre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Latino in America, the companion book to the televised special of the same name that was broadcast by the cable news network CNN over two nights, is a compilation of stories intended to represent the successes of Latinos.

Written by CNN host Soledad O'Brien with Rose Marie Arce, Latino in America, supplements the television special by using material and photos not seen in the broadcast version. In addition, the book offers readers the chance to hear more of O'Brien's voice as her personal insights of traveling the country meeting different Latinos is sprinkled throughout the text. 

O'Brien recounts stories as uplifting as young girls attempting to graduate from high school and gang members banding together to keep kids out of gangs to stories highlighting the same public perception problems Latinos have always had like Latina actresses still battling Hollywood stereotype casting.

While the television special created an uproar among some in the Latino community, there's no denying that stories depicting Latinos struggling to better themselves in circumstances that are far from ideal should be celebrated. Yet the book didn't go far enough in examining the stories of those Latinos, who have already achieved success and its impact on their lives. In that regard, I was surprised by the lack of the Middle Class Latino experience among all the tales told.

However, I did find in the book a definition that touches at the heart of the unique position Latinos find themselves in as we go about our daily lives. O'Brien defines Latinos as:

Latino is an American identity. It is a word to describe Americans who are drawn to each other by this intangible cultural link, the similarity of the way we run our families, our devotion to faith, and the warmth of our personalities, our connection to a history that recognizes no border to the south.

Latinos are a people who celebrate the new culture they've created in the United States while struggling each day with whether we need to assimilate or integrate into this new society. We ask ourselves what good things we want to preserve from our culture and what American values we want to or need to adopt. And that question never goes away, not one, two, or three generations beyond immigration.

The stories in the book encompassed a wide range of experiences -- but it's not the whole story. Hopefully, CNN discovered that one show or book cannot possibly navigate the entire Latino experience -- and is already planning the sequel to both.

By Jo Ann Hernández, assistant editor of Latina Lista's Bookshelf section, and the author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece." Jo Ann is also the creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors.

Filed 27 de Octubre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Apolonia Flores doesn't much like her name. However, her father takes pride in telling people where her name came from: "It's the girl form of Apollo. He was the god of the sun. Get it? It's my way of calling you a sunflower."

Parents! What can a teen do with them? Thankfully, everyone else calls her Lina. Yet, Lina's name is symbolic of her relationship with her out-of-touch father.

Confetti Girl is a beautiful story of a middle-school-age girl whose mother died the previous year and needs her father to communicate with her. Lina's father, in his grief, has immersed himself in books and so she struggles to reach him behind the hardcover barriers he places between the two of them.

Yet, Lina's changing relationship with her father isn't the only sign of change in the young girl's life. Lina's best friend Vanessa, who lives with her divorced mother across the street, starts to spend less time with Lina after discovering boys.

However, it isn't long before Lina finds herself liking a boy and grappling with old-fashioned insecurities -- "Does he like me?," "Doesn't he like me?," "How do I know?" -- that a mother could have helped her understand.

The book's author, Diana López, deals with the issue of losing a parent by examining that loss through both death and divorce.

The plot of this story is the generational struggle most teens experience with their parents when trying to come to an understanding of what the other needs.

Though the story deals with sad issues, the writing is upbeat and the ending is hilarious and would make any therapist proud.

López did a sensational job of presenting Lina in her environment with everyday teen angst and peculiarities. For example, the title of the book refers to young Lina's love for socks and how she chooses which socks to wear depending on how lucky they make her feel that day.

At the same time, López fully embraces the Latino culture through character dialogue of traditional Latino customs, along with, inserting an occasional word in Spanish in the text.

López portrayed people with real hurts, real joys and real loves -- just like everyone else in the world.

It's a book that is an enjoyable read.

By Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.

Filed 24 de Octubre, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)