Book Reviews

El Poder de TU Historia

2011-10-25T19:49:28+00:00

El poder de TU historia gathers stories that reflect different facets of human nature,” said Sardinas. “In the book I tell the story of a woman who called to tell me her ex had chopped off four of her fingers. I also recount other stories that have made me rethink how I prioritize things, like when I postponed calling a listener, and when I found the time, death had beat me to it,” he concluded. The difficult alternates with the humorous in chapters such as the one where Alberto acknowledges suffering the most embarrassing experience of his life in front of 15,000 people, as well as those in which he relates lessons he learned through celebrities. The forty short stories that constitute this book break beyond the trite boundaries of the common anecdote collection because each one emphasizes the lesson learned and offers a space for reflection. “There is nothing that brings us together as human beings, and specially as Latinos, that is more powerful than those memorable experiences that leave us key lessons,” said Sardinas, whose inspiration to write came from the candidness of his listeners. “If people share their personal stories with me, why wouldn’t I talk about mine?” he said.

Oath of God

2011-10-25T18:52:10+00:00

In the story, upon returning from a study abroad program in Mexico, Leizel hears a premonition from God. She has already met her soul mate, and he will love her in return as she loves and serves him – the Lord has already planned it. But before she can meet this soul mate again, Leizel must learn to keep her faith in God and follow her heart. She has been split all her life between living in Chicago, where she attends school and lives her daily life, and living in Mexico, her summer vacation home where she feels her soul remains. This split life mirrors her own battle between giving in to her temptations and giving in to living a God-led life. Traveling between the two, Leizel makes an abundance of friends and is challenged to glean something new from each relationship. As she is tested, tried, and taught how to live on faith alone, readers discover where faith leads her when she listens to the Oath of God.

The Making of Chicana/o Studies

2011-09-06T19:35:37+00:00

As a renowned leader, activist, scholar, and founding member of the movement to establish this curriculum in the California State University system, which serves as a model for the rest of the country, Rodolfo F. Acuña has, for more than forty years, battled the trend in academia to deprive this group of its academic presence. The book assesses the development of Chicana/o studies (an area of studies that has even more value today than at its inception)—myths about its epistemological foundations have remained uncontested. Acuña sets the record straight, challenging those in the academy who would fold the discipline into Latino studies, shadow it under the dubious umbrella of ethnic studies, or eliminate it altogether. Building the largest Chicana/o studies program in the nation was no easy feat, especially in an atmosphere of academic contention. In this remarkable account, Acuña reveals how California State University, Northridge, was instrumental in developing an area of study that offers more than 166 sections per semester, taught by 26 tenured and 45 part-time instructors. He provides vignettes of successful programs across the country and offers contemporary educators and students a game plan—the mechanics for creating a successful Chicana/o studies discipline—and a comprehensive index of current Chicana/o studies programs nationwide. Latinas/os, of which Mexican Americans are nearly seventy percent, comprise a complex sector of society projected to be just shy of thirty percent of the nation’s population by 2050. The Making of Chicana/o Studies identifies what went wrong in the history of Chicana/o studies and offers tangible solutions for the future. RODOLFO F. ACUÑA is a professor of Chicana/o studies at California State University, Northridge. As an activist, scholar, and founder of the largest Chicana/o studies department in the nation, he has been a contributor to the Mexican American community for decades.

Hawk Knight

2011-08-19T17:58:39+00:00

The Mayan Land is still recovering after the Olmecas, the Toltecas and the Teotihuacanos had vanished. The Akabil, messenger from the Nine Dark Lords, was quite successful with their master’s order to destroy humanity. Interfering in their plan was the Knights of Kukulkán, an order founded to teach in the city-school of Chichén Itzá, where the knights train their chosen apprentices to create new knights. Now a new apprentice has arrived along a new ascension of the Akabil, a knight who apostatize the order and whose master has been looking to eliminate him. The young Florid Field has decisions to take and his master tries to find out the new champion of the order. But is he ready to take on the mission? Wrapped with explosive action and fast-paced encounters, “Hawk Knight” takes readers on a thrilling ride through power and enchantment. This tale of good vs. evil will hook them from the first page to the last.

From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction

2011-08-04T21:31:33+00:00

For the first time since 1999, gay Latino voices are featured in a collection of gay Latino fiction. 29 writers from around the United States write about “don’t mess with me” divas, alluring bad boys and sexy teenagers, but also empowered youth for whom being queer is not a question and a family that grows wings on their heads. The infectious rhythms of House music in New York City are adjacent to cumbia in Mexico, next to reggaetón in Puerto Rico, alongside Latin pop in L.A. and merengue in an east coast city. But the spectrum of experiences and emotions that inhabit our days give these stories dimension and gay/queer Latinos a common ground. The stories are vibrantly varied and clearly connected in this “era of lost signals”* in which we live. Prepare yourself to dance in a disco in Silver Lake, check out papis in Orchard Beach, cross the border from Guatemala to Mexico on your way to the U.S., see a puro macho bathe in a river in Puerto Rico, make love under a full moon in the Dominican Republic, sigh at a tender moment in an orange grove in Lindsay, California, visit a panadería in Kansas, see a full blown birthday party in Ciudad Juárez and be seduced by a young artist in the South Bronx.

Conquistadora

2011-08-01T19:37:35+00:00

Esmeralda Santiago, the Hispanic author renowned for her extensive literary career, has recently released her latest novel, Conquistadora. With elements touching on self-discovery, love, desire and passion, this epic story does not disappoint readers looking to be carried away to the world of a heroin as charismatic and unforgettable as Scarlett O’Hara. As a young girl growing up in Spain, Ana Cubillas is powerfully drawn to Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de Leon. Ana finally finds her way there when she marries Ramon Argoso and convinces him and his twin brother Inocente, who share everything in life, to set off to a remote sugar plantation they have inherited on the island. An extraordinary story of love, discovery, and adventure unfolds. Young Ana’s fantasies are quickly overcome by the relenting heat, disease and dangers of the untamed life on the countryside and the vicissitudes of running the Hacienda. The heroine finds greater danger when the Civil War breaks out in the United States, as she finds her livelihood, and life, threatened by those very people at the backbone of her wealth: the Hacienda’s slaves. With her heart set on the land she has come to call home, no sacrifice is too big for this conquistadora. Conquistadora has already been praised by critics for the extraordinary depth of the narration and its historical content, and Esmeralda Santiago has been called “a story-telling genius.” The novel, which is already available at bookstores is published in Spanish by Suma and in English by Knofp. Esmeralda Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and came to the United States at age thirteen. Santiago attended Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and Honorary Doctor of Letters from Trinity University and from Pace University. Santiago also authored Cuando era puertorriquena, El sueno de America, and Casi una mujer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and The Boston Globe, among other publications, as well as shows such as NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition.

Bolivar

2011-07-31T19:44:36+00:00

We not only get a narrative on Bolivar’s life and the influences on his revolutionary ideas but all the passion behind his actions. The book takes us from Bolivar’s privileged youth in Venezuela to his military training to his various liberation campaigns. Here the hero is demystified and we come to see Bolivar as a romantic revolutionary who was so successful in liberating much of Latin America from Spanish rule. The personal aspect of Bolivar’s life is well written here and often overlooked in other narratives. The influence of his first wife’s death and his love-hate relationship with Napoleon makes for an interesting read. A reader doesn’t need to know much Latin American history to get wrapped up in the book’s detailed narrative on Bolivar’s different military campaigns spanning six nations and to see the beauty of South America in its infancy. Harvey aptly captures the passion of Bolivar and what made this man so extraordinary. Harvey’s book is not a textbook read, though it is exceptionally well researched, but rather a biography of passion and vision that makes the great Simon Bolivar so human while accomplishing heroic feats.

The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive

2011-03-22T04:15:33+00:00

Garcia, who besides writing fiction books is also an independent filmmaker, weaves the different genres of short stories, poems and instant messaging to tell her tale. As you read each chapter you slowly find out who these Latino youth are: disgruntled, struggling, gay and questioning. Each brief chapter is a story in itself, yet the chapters relate smoothly to each other in how they each give further illumination to this disenfranchised group. Using brief and concise narrative with dark poetic phrasing you can sense the desperation of Garcia’s Latino youth from the fired T Mobile employee using his last check to get high to the Latino Lesbian that can’t wait to get drunk until her AA sponsor calls to the guy who makes purses from road kill. And though the book can be about any young demographic the voices are clearly Latino: “When we realized we were neither the Natives nor the English colonialists of our history books. But we were somehow still Americans.” In spite of their addictions and daily struggles they are affected by the political happenings of the time – an affirmation that even in small pockets of America the sounds of change were being heard. The election of 2008 made some of these Latino youth want to work on their future while the country was working on theirs: “The New World feels new again.” This point is brought home in the ‘Anguish’ chapter one of our favorite. There’s even some witty political commentary, such as the bit about Sarah Palin sending “feminism 5 decades back.” The 72 page-book is a quick and dark read with a unique literary style. If you want to take the Cliff Notes approach to finding out about disenfranchised Latino gay youth this is the book for you.

Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” Chosen As the Spring 2011 One Book, One Chicago Selection

2011-03-03T23:38:14+00:00

Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Library officials today announced that Neil Gaiman’s novel, Neverwhere, is the 20th selection for Chicago’s city wide book club, One Book, One Chicago. “Since I’ve been Mayor, I’ve worked hard to encourage Chicagoans to make reading a priority in their lives—which is why a program like One Book, One Chicago is so important,” Daley said in a news conference held at the Harold Washington Library center, 400 S. State St. “We look at it as a way to bring people together in all our neighborhoods and to foster the kind of communication that can only help make Chicago a better place to live,” he said. Neverwhere is a fantasy novel. Neil Gaiman is a prolific author who works in many genres—nonfiction, film, comics, young adult and children’s fiction, fantasy and more—and whose work includes Newberry Medal winner The Graveyard Book, American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys and The Sandman comics. He boasts more than 1.5 million followers on Twitter. The book tells the story of Richard Mayhew, an office worker in London who, after helping a young woman lying injured on a sidewalk, has his existence completely erased. He is subsequently pulled into the haunting and fantastic world of “London Below,” populated by people and things that have “fallen through the cracks” of the world above. He undertakes an unbelievable journey full of unforgettable people, creatures and places, all the while hoping to return to “London Above” and to normalcy.

Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano

2010-12-19T10:30:01+00:00

One of my favorite Christmas songs is Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.” He wrote it when he was 24 and homesick for Puerto Rico, like I always am this time of year. Now, my favorite song is a picture book for readers of all ages, and just in time for Christmas. From the Latin Baby Book Club: Singer/songwriter, José Feliciano’s popular Christmas song comes to life in this beautifully illustrated book. Caldecott Medal winner, David Diaz, creates a stunning story with a collage of images that center around the parrandas of Puerto Rico, where Feliciano was born. The beginning of the book includes an introduction that introduces the history of parrandas and describes this festive tradition. Blind from birth, Feliciano has more than 65 albums out and has received six Grammy® Awards. He is also the first performer to win pop music awards in two language categories. Talk about inspirational! You can read his story here. David Diaz’s distinctive style is instantly recognizable and has landed him high-profile clients such as American Express, Warner Bros., and even the Olympics. In the Latino children’s literature market, he may be best known for his books, DIEGO: BIGGER THAN LIFE, written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand; THE POT THAT JUAN BUILT, written by Nancy Andrews-Goebel; and CESAR: SI, SE PUEDE!, also written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand.

“Millennium”: The trilogy by Stieg Larsson

2010-11-21T08:18:55+00:00

Little did he know just how successful his books would become. The immensely popular trilogy has sold over 14 million copies worldwide and has earned him the top spot in the crime novel genre. Not bad for a first-time, unknown writer. The books have also made their way into the big screen in Europe and Hollywood and a television series is in the works in his native Sweden. According to news reports, Larsson planned to write a total of ten books in the Millennium saga. At his death he left an unfinished manuscript of a fourth novel in the series, but it is still unclear whether this will be published. Besides corrupt businessmen and politicians, sadists and sex traffickers, a recurring theme in Larsson’s novels is the sexual violence against women, especially in Sweden, a country often praised as pro-women, pro-gender equality. The crime trilogy, available in Spanish from Grupo Planeta, is comprised of: “Los hombres que no amaban a las mujeres”, “La chica que soñaba con un cerillo y un galón de gasolina” y “La reina en el palacio de las corrientes de aire”. In the first opus, the central character is a former journalism star, Mikael Blomkvist. For years he worked at a magazine, Millennium, covering sociology and economics. But lately he has been in the doldrums. One day, he gets a phone call from Henrik Vanger, the elderly former CEO of Vanger Enterprises. Vanger proposes Blomkvist a lucrative freelance assignment, one he cannot refuse: to investigate the disappearance of Vanger’s beloved young niece, who had vanished some forty years earlier. To find the culprits, he partners with Lisbeth Salander, a tattooed and pierced, bisexual computer hacker. She is one helluva protagonist. In the second book, the reader remains hooked to the story. Ace researcher Lisbeth and the intrepid Mikael investigate a sex-trafficking ring. She is accused of three murders, forcing her to flee turmoil in Stockholm and find succor in the Caribbean, leaving no trace behind. Mikael is puzzled by Lisbeth’s disappearance and when she returns to Stockholm, she is shot in the head. The third installment of the saga continues the adventures of Mikael and Lisbeth. The plot is no less thrilling and nail-biting. She survives the shooting, but it’s still too early to sing for joy: she remains as the prime suspect in the three murders and needs a miracle to remove the bullet in her skull. Bed-ridden, she remains alert. They communicate primarily online, but this link in no way diminishes the intensity of their relationship. Mikael knows that Lisbeth’s life and freedom do not depend on the judiciary system. He must save her. The “Millennium” books have captured the attention of readers around the world and have been heralded as the most electrifying crime saga of the decade. No doubt, it is a literary phenomenon. For more information on Larsson’s trilogy, please visit www.serielarsson.us

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

2010-11-21T08:12:03+00:00

“It should be easier being a Mexican than being an alien from outer space.” –Tyler “America is a whole hemisphere, north and south. We are all-American! Raices mexicanas y flores norteamericanas… a bouquet with Mexican roots and North American flowers.” –Mari “It’s not wrong in the eyes of God. Sometimes, a country has these laws that have nothing to do with what’s right or what’s best for most of the people involved.” –Tyler’s Dad She wrote RETURN TO SENDER as a way of helping both the children of Vermont and those of the Mexican migrant workers arriving to work the farms cope with their new situation. The name comes from the dragnet operation carried out by the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2006. They named their operation Return to Sender, and the idea was to raid workplaces, seize undocumented workers and send them back to their home countries. And that is the world in which Tyler and Mari live. RETURN TO SENDER is written for 8-10 year olds, but it is a wonderful, poignant, emotional book that will satisfy and engage all ages. It is the story of Tyler, who is scared that his family will have to leave the only home they’ve ever known when his father gets hurt and can’t continue to work their Vermont farm. It’s the story of Mari, whose family hides in fear of being separated or worse yet, being sent back to Mexico and poverty. These two families come together to save the farm and build a home. But there are adjustments on all sides, as both families live in fear of discovery by the authorities, as Tyler adjusts to his patriot dad breaking the law, as Mari struggles to help raise her sisters since her mother has gone missing after a trip with a coyote, as the whole town struggles with the question of undocumented workers and struggling farms. During these struggles, Tyler and Mari become friends. It is they who discover that friendship has no borders. Because when the authorities do finally raid the farm and capture Mari’s parents and uncle, it is Tyler and Mari who join forces to bravely face the law to tell their story and hopefully change some hearts so people, especially lawmakers, realize that people are NOT excess baggage. RETURN TO SENDER was selected as one of two winners of the 2010 Americas Award for Children and Young Adult’s Literature, sponsored by the national Consortium for Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP). It also won the 2010 Pura Belpré Author Award presented by the American Library Association, and is on Oprah’s 2010 Kids Reading List. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julia Alvarez writes adult and children’s fiction. She lives in Vermont with her husband and is a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College. Julia and her husband Bill started a sustainable farm-literacy center called Alta Gracia in the Dominican Republic. To find out how to order their coffee, Café Alta Gracia, and maybe visit their farm, check out their website www.cafealtagracia.com. To find out more about Julia and her writing life, she suggests reading her book of essays, SOMETHING TO DECLARE.

“El Poder” (The Power) by Rhonda Byrne

2010-11-14T09:48:26+00:00

At a time of economic woes, numerous natural disasters in recent months, and wars in different regions of the globe, we often need a reminder of the many wonderful things in life. In “El Poder” (The Power), the latest book by the international bestselling author of “The Secret”, Rhonda Byrne gives us a simple text, with simple words on a complicated matter—how to bring more good things into our lives. “The Secret”, which was published in 2006 and traveled at lightning speed from one person to another across the planet, sold more than 19 million copies in 46 languages and the DVD has sold over 2 million copies. A worldwide phenomenon, “The Secret” was embraced by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Cristina Saralegui. People where enthralled by its philosophy and revelations on the “law of attraction,” which states that whatever you experience in life is a direct consequence of your thoughts. Byrne’s idea of “the universe” as a godlike agent that provides whatever we desire. In her new book “El Poder” (Atria Books, $23.95-hardcover) Byrne gives us a gentle and yet stern lesson on not settling for what we have but reaching for what we want. She reminds us of our own power to change our lives and transform ourselves within by tapping into that power, nurturing it, owning it, and making it our best ally. The author describes how everything under the sun, every discovery and human creation, comes from the power: perfect health, wonderful relationships, a career and/or job you love, a life filled with happiness, and the financial means you need to be, do, and have everything you long for. Byrne’s basic premise is that we all can get anything we want by simply thinking positively about it. Life is simple, she says. Our life is made up of only two kinds of things - positive things and negative things. Byrne’s eureka moment came in 2004, when her daughter handed her a copy of Wallace Wattles’s “The Science of Getting Rich”). It took her ninety minutes to read the book and her entire life changed, the author says. To support her statements, Byrne cites great sages and philosophers such as Jesus, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Aristotle, Plato, Galileo, Beethoven, Edison, Carnegie, Einstein, Alexander G. Bell (“What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that exists”). What Is The Power?, Life Follows You, How To Eliminate Bad Feelings?, Say Yes To Money, are some of the inspiring chapters in “El Poder”. The life of our dreams, the author writes, has always been closer to us than we realized, because “the Power” —to have everything good in your life—is inside us. That power is the antidote to our pains, it “contains the essence of everything”: to open yourself up to life’s rewards and you’ll get them. Thus, the book is peppered with trenchant positive thinking. To create anything, to change anything, all it takes is just one thing: the “power of love”. A very timely book for the many of us that have forgotten about hope, love, and the appreciation for who we are and the many things we contribute to the universe. Byrne’s words resonate with people. And that is the key to her success. About the author Rhonda Byrne was born on March 12, 1951 in Australia. She is a television writer and producer, best known for her New Thought works. In 2007, Byrne was included in Time Magazine’s list of 100 people who shape the world. She began her journey with “The Secret” film, viewed by millions across the globe. She followed with “The Secret” book, a bestseller now available in 46 languages. With “El Poder,” Rhonda Byrne continues her groundbreaking work, as she reveals the single greatest force in our universe. Her intention is: joy to billions. For more information on “El Poder” and/or other books, please visit www.tintafresca.us

Boogie Down by Daniel Serrano

2010-11-14T07:09:48+00:00

I know this is wrong. I know I am weak, I know it cannot lead to anywhere good, but things will be different this time because this is me, and I am special.——Cassandra Maldonado “Cassandra was a NYPD detective, an undercover assigned to stop a monster.” Daniel Serrano opens with this gripping sentence and keeps the reader entranced until the last page. This story is full of action, mystery and suspense. It’s about life and death, truth and justice, winning and dying. Serrano’s cast of characters is so real, so vivid that this reader hopes to “meet” them all again soon in future books. (Daniel—this could be a series!) SUMMARY: Detective Cassandra Maldonado – a single mother of an autistic child – will do anything to provide for her son, whether that means putting herself in the path of a monster or blackmailing the Mayor into promoting her to the elite high profile homicide squad. Her first day on the job, has Cassandra investigating the brutal murder of FYSHBone, a rap superstar. There are plenty of suspects, including the supermodel girlfriend, a greedy loan shark, a brutal music tycoon and a hot, sexy lawyer. But Cassandra has no time for romance, as her career and her life are on the line. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Serrano was born and raised by his mother in the tough streets of New York and Chicago. The eldest of three boys, Serrano witnessed gangs, crime, drugs, poverty, and even murder, as his family lived the urban Latino struggle. After drifting through menial jobs for years, he enrolled in the Weekend Program at Shimer College and studied the classics. Serrano went on to earn a law degree from St. John’s University. As an attorney, he has spent the bulk of his career advising politicians and alleged criminals. He is currently at work on his next book. Daniel currently divides his time between New York City and Puerto Rico, where he is hard at work on his next novel. For more information about the author, click here.

“When the Stars Go Blue” by Caridad Ferrer

2010-11-07T10:48:15+00:00

I’ve never been in love. Aymadredediosomigod. I couldn’t believe I’d said it. But what else could it be? This odd, terrifying feeling of falling down Alice’s rabbit hole into this unknown world. That made me want to laugh and cry and want to throw up and wrap myself in everything Jonathan represented all at the same time. —Soledad Reyes Does anyone remember that Brooke Shields movie, “Endless Love?” What about Donny Osmond’s “Puppy Love?” They were both about the wonder of first love – the joy of that sweet first, the heated passion, the intensity of emotion. Teens and hormones are a combustible combination and that is what Caridad Ferrer has given us in WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE; Her daring third Young Adult novel about a dancer and a musician, who discover love amid the competitive atmosphere of the drum and bugle corps. Soledad Reyes lives and breathes dancing. A high school senior, her plan is to teach while auditioning for professional dance companies. Enter BMOC Jonathan Crandall with a proposition—He wants her to play the sultry gypsy Carmen from the opera for his drum and bugle company. It’s an opportunity too good to pass up, and the chance for the new sweethearts to spend the summer together. Everything is almost perfect, except for the lack of privacy on the road, Jonathan’s cantankerous father and a sexy soccer player with his eye on Soledad. Suddenly it all goes wrong as love turns to betrayal, and Soledad’s life and dancing career are changed forever. This book is Fabulous. A must read. And the climax will knock you off your seat. Read it and tell me if it doesn’t. The book doesn’t come out until November 23, so mark your calendars to grab a copy then. I asked Caridad about where got the idea of using the opera Carmen in her story and why the drum and bugle corps. Check out her answers below. You will be amazed at the breath of talent in this author. She must be a prima! Why Carmen the opera? What does that opera say to you? Honestly, because an editor suggested the idea to me. But being already familiar with the story, it was the sort of idea that made me go, “Oye, now why didn’t I think of that in the first place?” Because seriously—it’s the kind of story that has EVERYTHING. It’s got drama and intrigue and romance and betrayal and devotion. It’s the kind of story that really sinks in and speaks to that dark, intense place in my soul. That I try to recreate with words I hope touch the reader. And musically, it’s one of the most magnificent scores ever written—and the passion inherent in the music is just the perfect inspiration for writing a story. When did you conceive the idea of using the drum corps? And didn’t you say you were in one? Tell us a little about that and your “role” in the corps. Drum corps was a huge part of my life as an adolescent. It’s an intense, all-consuming love affair, when you’re involved in the activity. I was in the Florida Wave Drum & Bugle Corps, based out of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale for three years. We were a small, perpetually broke corps who went out and played our butts off, every single night. For one year, I was in the horn line, playing soprano bugle, then for two years, I was part of the percussion line in what’s known as the “pit crew,” the musicians on the sideline who play the keyboard percussion instruments as well as all of the incidental percussion. (One year, we even played steel drums!) As far as using corps for STARS, I’d known for a long time that I wanted to write a story set against the backdrop of the activity—once presented with the idea of recreating the Carmen story for a contemporary audience, it seemed like a perfect fit for a few different reasons. One, it’s a popular score for band/corps interpretation and has been performed time and again. And I knew that I didn’t want to simply rewrite the story in a contemporary setting—I wanted to put my own spin on it and allow it to stand on its own and using the drum corps as a background allowed me that freedom. Literally, I was able to employ the literary device of the “play within a play.” Once I made those decisions, it all seemed to fall into place pretty easily. Why the YA market? What is it about this age group that attracts your writing? I’m sort of an accidental YA author, honestly. My agent at the time had been shopping an adult manuscript of mine when she heard an editor wanted a Latina-themed YA and asked if I wanted to give it a go. I did, and the rest, as they say, is history. That book became ADIÓS TO MY OLD LIFE, my first published novel, which went on to become a YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults, as well as winning the Romance Writers of America’s RITA for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance, which was a HUGE honor, since that was an award for adult novels and I never expected that my YA even stood a chance. Which goes to show, a lot of adults are reading and loving YA and it’s a great time to be writing it. And I’m so fortunate that my voice seems well-suited for the types of YA that I write, which are skewed a little older, in terms of character ages, and aren’t necessarily focused around school-settings, but more about the big transitions in life, when you’re hovering on that cusp just between adolescence and adulthood. You’re making a lot of changes, some good, some bad, and life is as much about what’s going on in your head as it is about what’s going on around you. Given that I’m drawn to more introspective, character-driven pieces, I find it a fantastic age to explore. Caridad Ferrer’s first novel, ADIOS TO MY OLD LIFE, won a RITA Award for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance, as well as being named to ALA’s 2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults List. Her third novel, WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE, will be released in late November. Caridad lives with her family near Seattle, Washington. Visit her at http://www.caridadferrer.com/.

Entrevista: David Unger, el escritor de “Ni chicha ni limonada”

2010-11-07T10:24:44+00:00

El escritor David Unger, nacido en Guatemala y criado en Estados Unidos, habla sobre su nuevo libro, “Ni chicha ni limonada”, y la idea de ser un “extranjero en tierra extranjera.” “Ni chicha ni limonada” (F & G Editores, $15.95 tapa blanda) es el libro más reciente de David Unger, escritor, profesor universitario, prolífico traductor y representante en Estados Unidos de la Feria del Libro de Guadalajara. ¿Cómo llegaste al título “Ni chicha ni limonada”? Hace 23 años publiqué un libro de poemas titulado “Neither Caterpillar Nor Butterfly” (“Ni oruga ni mariposa”), basado en una frase de Moby Dick, la brillante novela de Melville. La cita exacta se refiere al medio salvaje Queequeg: [he] was a creature in the transition state—neither caterpillar nor butterfly. Siempre me ha gustado esa frase, porque implícito en la cita es la idea de constante transformación y a la vez, la idea de ser un “extranjero en tierra extranjera.” De cierta manera yo, nacido en Guatemala, criado en los Estados Unidos, zurdo, judío y escribiendo en inglés, siempre me he sentido en la tierra de nadie—con fuertes recuerdos y vivencia en Guatemala, pero de cierta manera condenado a la vida anglosajón con un apellido nada hispano. Cuando estaba pensando sobre cómo titular esta colección de doce cuentos en un ensayo literario, por no decir ficcionalizado, decidí que Ni chicha ni limonada podía denominar perfectamente el libro y sus personajes. ¿Por qué optaste por un libro de cuentos en vez de una novela? Hace unos seis años conocí a Raúl Figueroa, el editor guatemalteco de F y G Editores, a través de su participación en la Feria de Guadalajara. Él conocía mi obra y en varias ocasiones dijo públicamente que mi novela “ Vivir en el maldito trópico” era entre las mejores novelas guatemaltecas que trataban el asunto del “conflicto armado”, el término que usamos para referirnos a los 32 años de guerra civil. Como mi novela tardó 4 años en llegar a Guatemala, el propuso hacer una edición de la novela para el país. Me pidió que le pasara un libro nuevo. Pensé que bien podría hacer una selección de mis cuentos, que tuvieran relación y en las cuales se repiten ciertos personajes cuyo desarrollo o decadencia podríamos observar a lo largo de los años. En el primer relato, “La Casita”, el protagonista dice: “Olvidar el español, eso es lo que venir a los Estados Unidos significa para mí”. ¿Qué tan profundamente sientes esa pérdida, si es que compartes el sentimiento de tu personaje? ¿Hay alguna manera de remediarla? “La Casita” es un cuento que nace de mi propia vida, y aún el patojo que dice la frase que citaste se llama David o Davico. Diciendo eso, no implica que el cuento no haya sido ficcionalizado, porque creo que en cualquier biografía o autobiografía existe la ficción—tanto del recuerdo como del olvidado. Pero sí, venir a Hialeah, Florida, a los 4 años significaba “olvidar el español” e integrarme dolorosamente al mundo anglosajón—no solo las costumbres, pero también la comida, las sensibilidades, el comportamiento, los paisajes y el lenguaje. No había otra. Y sí, hubo manera de remediarla. Mi mamá consiguió trabajo como secretaria de la Pan American y debido a eso, comenzando a los ocho años, mis padres nos mandaban, a mí y mis dos hermanos, a pasar los veranos con mis abuelos y tíos en Guatemala. En el momento del aterrizaje cuando vi las montañas y los volcanes que rodean la Ciudad de Guatemala, me sentí como el hijo pródigo que regresa al seno de su familia, su tierra, su vida… ¿Crees que tu trabajo como traductor te ha ayudado de alguna manera en tu trabajo como escritor o son cosas completamente diferentes? Pues yo comencé como poeta escribiendo en inglés y me matriculé en la Universidad de Columbia en Nueva York. Por suerte, pude tomar cursos de literatura en español (el gran poeta chileno Humberto Díaz-Casanueva fue mi profesor por un año) y de traducción lo cual me abrió la puerta a leer y traducir muchos poetas latinoamericanos como Neruda, Mistral y Vallejo y en forma de libro a Enrique Lihn, Vicente Aleixandre y Nicanor Parra. Aprendí mucho de mis lecturas y mis traducciones porque sigo creyendo, y no cabe duda, que el traductor es el mejor lector de una obra dada. La traducción siempre ha sido parte integral de mi propia escritura. En el relato final Gabriel García Márquez aparece como el hombre cuya obra te inspiró a convertirte en escritor. Tu estilo de escritura es muy diferente del suyo, menos barroco y más directo. ¿Ha cambiado en algo tu apreciación de su obra en relación a la primera vez que lo leíste? ¿Crees que el “Realismo Mágico” tiene vigencia en el mundo actual o que los nuevos tiempos requieren una forma diferente de tratados? Acuérdate que cuando hablo de la obra de Gabo, me refiero en ese ensayo/cuento a “El coronel no tiene quien le escriba”, una novelita que precede a “Cien años de soledad”. Creo que, a pesar que considero a esta última novela como su obra maestra, Cien años ha causado mucho daño en las letras latinoamericanas, dándole raíz a muchas novelas—aun bien reseñadas en la prensa norteamericana y latinoamericana—que realmente no tienen la complejidad, la arquitectura y la riqueza de la obra de Gabo. Pero bueno, yo siempre he buscado otras cosas en una novela y creo que escritores del perfil de Jorge Volpi, Laura Restrepo, Silvia Molina, y Sergio Ramírez Mercado (especialmente en sus cuentos) han abierto otros espacios y temas de mucho valor. Creo que el “Realismo Mágico” está bien enterrado, aunque siempre tenemos escritores que lo querrán resucitar. Para más información sobre “Ni chicha ni limonada” y/u otros libros, visite la revista literaria www.tintafresca.us

New Vargas Llosa Book “El Sueño del Celta” Available Now in Spanish Only (BILINGUAL)

2010-11-07T06:00:16+00:00

Mario Vargas Llosa, the 2010 literature Nobel Prize winner from Perú has released a new novel “El Sueño del Celta” less than one month after being laureated with the greatest prize in the world of writers. Published by the Spanish Alfaguara, the new novel went on sale on Spain and other Spanish speaking markets on Wednesday, in an initial edition of half a million copies. Vargas Llosa’s latest won’t be available in English until early 2012. The book, just shy of 500 pages is based on the life of Roger Casement (1864- 1916), a British consul in the Belgian Congo in the early nineteen hundreds. Casement was one of the first Europeans to denounce the atrocities of colonialism in Congo, regarded as private property by king Leopold II. He traveled to the country with “Heart of Darkness” author Joseph Conrad. Once knighted by the British, Casement was later executed on charges of assisting Irish nationalists. Casement was a “fascinating” and “visionary” figure, “The duality between the hero and ordinary human being is what attracted me,” Vargas Llosa added when explaining the motivations he had to write about Casement. The writer said he had respected basic historic facts about Casement, but also invented a lot. “I only lie when I write novels,” the Peruvian author said. _________________________________ En Español El actual Nobel de Literatura, Mario Vargas Llosa, presentó este miércoles su última novela titulada “El sueño del Celta” que narra la vida del irlandés Roger Casement, quien denunció las atrocidades del colonialismo en el Congo, asi como en la Amazonia peruana. “La novela no sigue fielmente la historia, pero sí arranca de una realidad histórica”, explicó. No es la primera vez que Vargas Llosa se apega a verdades de la realidad contemporánea para escribir trabajos de ficción. En sendas ocasiones, hechos históricos han sentado las bases para sus novelas, como es el caso de “La fiesta del Chivo.” “El sueño del Celta” empieza en el Congo en 1903 y termina en una cárcel de Londres, una mañana de 1916. “Es un caso típico en el que por una parte vemos a un héroe y por otra parte vemos un ser humano falible, con debilidades e incongruencias”, asegura Vargas Llosa. Vargas Llosa lamentó la falta de conciencia sobre lo perjudicial de la piratería y el poco respeto a la legalidad en América Latina; dijo que Alfaguara estima que por cada venta de un libro, se venden siete piratas. La Academia Sueca concedió el Nobel de Literatura a Mario Vargas Llosa el pasado octubre “por su cartografía de las estructuras del poder y sus mordaces imágenes de la resistencia individual, la revuelta y la derrota”. Recibirá el galardón este 10 de diciembre en Estocolmo.

“The Madonnas of Echo Park” by Brando Skyhorse

2010-11-01T18:16:49+00:00

THE MADONNAS OF ECHO PARK is not so much about the immigrant experience, as it’s about finding and holding onto the American Dream. Skyhorse’s characters are already in America. The old country has been left in the past; now, their only focus is to make a place, a home for themselves in this new land, a land that was “once theirs.” The story is told in vignettes – quick peeks into the lives of the people of Echo Park. A Madonna MTV video makes the L.A. neighborhood famous; a drive by shooting makes it infamous. The stories are interconnected and revolve around the Esperanza family, as they struggle to fit into the community and into society as a whole. There’s Hector, an illegal all his life. He lost his wife, his child, his job of 18-years and then his freedom, when he witnesses a crime and tells the police, only to find that he’s the only one going to jail. There’s Felicia, his ex, struggling to raise her daughter. She’s a cleaning lady, a silent, faceless worker until a drive by shooting pushes her into the spotlight. There’s Aurora, straddling two worlds, two cultures, not knowing who she is or where she belongs. And around them is the community of Echo Park, with its colorful characters: A religious hypocrite who sees the Virgin Mary at a bus stop; a bus driver who’s separated himself totally from his roots until one night the struggle for survival is fought on his bus; an ex-gang member who doesn’t understand his son’s desire to enter the army; and, a charismatic seamstress who settles for the familiar and loses her life on the job. THE MADONNAS OF ECHO PARK is a worthy read. True, following the stories and the characters is confusing at times, but the characters are engaging and realistic. I heartily recommend it.♥ ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brando Skyhorse was born and raised in Echo Park, California. He’s a graduate of Stanford University and the MFA Writers’ Workshop program at the University of California, Irvine. His next book is a memoir about growing up with five stepfathers.

“Demasiados héroes” de Laura Restrepo

2010-10-31T10:50:52+00:00

Laura Restrepo, autora de exitosas novelas como “La novia oscura” y “Delirio”, narra la relación de una madre con su hijo, lo que significa crecer sin padre y la militancia política durante la dictadura argentina. “Demasiados héroes” (Alfaguara, $21.99 -tapa blanda) es una mirada simple y profunda a la relación entre una madre y su hijo, a crecer con el padre ausente y, llegado el momento, a lanzarse incansablemente en su búsqueda. Es dejar de ser niño para ser hombre. También es una novela política, donde la autora nuevamente revela su pasado trotskista, su trabajo militante en la clandestinidad y la lucha civil por debajo de la mesa en medio de la dictadura argentina de los años 70 y 80. Junto al amor y los problemas, los puentes y las distancias entre madre e hijo, están las lealtades partidistas y lo que, por solidaridad latinoamericana, significó ser una extranjera viviendo en una dictadura ajena. Los protagonistas son Lorenza y su hijo adolescente Mateo, quienes a finales de los 90 viajan a Buenos Aires desde Bogotá para cumplir un viejo anhelo del joven: conocer a su padre, Ramón. En los tiempos del horror y la represión, Lorenza y Ramón tuvieron su historia personal. Mateo es el fruto de esa unión. Antes que termine la pesadilla, Lorenza y Ramón deciden alejarse de la Argentina y se radican en Colombia, el país de Lorenza. Se rompen los lazos que hasta entonces unían a Lorenza y Ramón y, entre otras cosas, dan paso al “episodio oscuro”, uno de los puntos troncales en “Demasiados héroes”. Esa idea da forma y vida a la novela. El nuevo opus de Laura Restrepo presenta tintes autobiográficos y transita en el terreno del diálogo entre Lorenza y Mateo, de las preguntas incesantes del joven y las respuestas –a veces blandas, evasivas- de la madre. El viaje al sur les servirá para despejar dudas, ¿enterrar viejos recuerdos?, para replantearse el pasado, el presente y el futuro. ¿Encontrará por fin al padre ausente? ¿Cómo será, a partir de ese momento, la relación entre madre e hijo? Un buen libro. Para más información sobre “Demasiados héroes” y/u otros libros, por favor visite la revista literaria www.tintafresca.us

‘El camino de la meditación: Momento de Cristo’ (The Path of Meditation: Moment of Christ)

2010-10-17T10:17:08+00:00

The practice of meditation is often associated with the spiritual disciplines of the East. But meditation, which originated in Vedic Hinduism, is also found in the Christian tradition. In the last years, it has become mainstream in Western culture. What is meditation? Why do we meditate? How can we benefit from it? Published for the first time in Spanish, ‘El camino de la meditación: Momento de Cristo’ (Convivium Press, $18.99), is one of the most influential works by John Main. According to him, the book can help us search for, and find, the answers in the name of Christ. It is based on Communitas, a series of live talks Main gave in the last years of his life. Thus, is not a continuous narrative, in fact it can be approached alternately. Written in a simple style, the book is a source of spiritual nourishment and enlightment that can bring the reader closer to the practice of meditation. The message is clear: our salvation lies in the hands of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Divided in 34 easy-to-read-and-follow chapters (The Path to Mantra, The peace of Christ, The Path to Eternity, Original innocence, among others), this 159 page-book encourages us to begin the path of meditation and to persevere on our journey of silent prayer, peace and tranquility. Main believed that meditation, as a way of tolerance and compassion, “builds a bridge of the spirit between peoples of different faiths, between rich and poor, and between all those suffering conflict of division.” What is meditation? Meditation, says Main, is the suppression of thought and image, leaving distraction behind. The repetition of a short phrase facilitates the mantra and the concept of the poverty of spirit throughout prayer. Silence is the best preparation for meditation and it can be done in 20 or 30 minutes a day, in private. Meditation involves imageless and silence prayer through repetition of a mantra: Maranatha. No matter our religion, faith or beliefs, we all need a mantra, says Main. That magic word “centers the whole subject in the presence of Christ and the Holy Spirit.” The book is filled with helpful advice and deep, spiritual insight. Its beautiful message will serve anyone, or any group, wishing to get closer to God and Christ through the practice of meditation. About the author John Main was a Benedictine monk, born in London in 1926. Without a doubt he is one of the greatest modern sages of prayer, having devoted his time and life to bring Christian meditation to the world. In 1975, he opened the first Christian Meditation Center at his monastery in London, and later in Montreal. He rediscovered Christian Meditation in the 20th Century and proposed it to contemporary women and men seeking sense and inspiration in their lives. During his youth, while living in Asia, he met his spiritual teacher, a Hindu Monk named Swami Satyananda, who transmitted him the technique of Hindu Meditation. Later, Main discovered that similar practices existed in Christian tradition. He died of cancer in December 1982, at his monastery in Montreal. For more information on ‘El camino de la meditación: Momento de Cristo’ and/or other books, please visit www.tintafresca.us

Vargas Llosa Wins Nobel Prize

2010-10-12T16:39:34+00:00

The Nobel organizing committee awarded the coveted literature prize to Mario Vargas Llosa “for his cartography of the structures of power, and his acute reflection of the individual’s resistance, his revolt, his failures.” The 74 year old has been a landmark of the literary world through his ability to perceive and put on paper the complexities of the Peruvian society. Next to huge names in literature such as García Márquez, Julio Cortázar and Carlos Fuentes, Mario Vargas Llosa was one of the protagonists of the literary movement known as the “Latin American boom” “Us Latin Americans are dreamers by nature, and have problems to differentiate the real world from fiction. This is why we have such great musicians, poets, painters and writers, as well as horrible and mediocre governing,” said the new Nobel. His entire work has been translated to 30 languages and has been presented with several prestigious awards like the Cervantes award, Principe de Asturias award, Rómulo Gallegos award, National Novel Prize of Perú and many others. He once had a beautiful friendship with Colombian writer and 1982 Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, but it ended abruptly under confusing circumstances that both men prefer not to discuss. “Let the biographer’s deal with that,” said Vargas Llosa. “I’m in New York, because I am a guest professor at Princeton University. I was reading, and the committee called me on the phone (…) to give me the news (…) but I’m still bedazzled with the news” Vargas Llosa said to Colombian Radio interviewers. “I’m glad to see how many friends are happy with and for me, for this decoration” “Writing is a job that requires perseverance and a developed ability to obey and respect a certain self imposed discipline, and I think that’s the key. The reason why I submit with such ease to this self-imposed discipline, is because I don’t feel it is a job, but a pleasure” Vargas llosa says about a “hobby” he’ll keep indulging in “for as long as I live”.

La Caída de los Gigantes de Ken Follett

2010-10-10T08:34:03+00:00

El escritor británico Ken Follett regresa a la acción con otra saga épica. La Caída de los Gigantes (Vintage Español, $22.00) es una historia cautivadora que, en los albores del siglo 20, cubre la vida de cinco familias interrelacionadas entre sí y provenientes de cinco países diferentes: Estados Unidos, Rusia, Alemania, Inglaterra y Gales. La “lista de personajes”, no menos de 124 son enumerados al principio de la novela, incluye a un joven minero galés, su querida hermana, un matón ruso, un Conde, entre otros. La Primera Guerra Mundial, la Revolución Rusa, el choque entre la clase trabajadora y la aristocracia junto con la lucha de la mujer por conseguir el derecho al voto, forman el contexto histórico de esta interesante novela. Los personajes centrales están acompañados por personajes políticos externos como el presidente norteamericano Woodrow Wilson y el Secretario de la Marina Josephus Daniels; Winston Churchill, King George V, León Trotsky y Vladimir Lenin. Todo empieza el 22 de Junio de 1911, el día que Jorge V es coronado en la Abadía de Westminster de Londres como nuevo Rey de Inglaterra y Billy Williams cumple 13 años de edad en un lejano pueblo en Galés del Sur. Siguiendo la tradición local para entrar al mundo de los hombres, ese día el joven Billy, por primera vez en su vida, se dirige a trabajar en las minas de carbón en Aberowen. Aunque tiene miedo, Billy no lo demuestra. En adelante, la historia se mueve de manera uniforme entre St. Petersburg y Washington D.C., y termina en Londres y Munich en 1924. Las próximas novelas de la trilogía ‘Century’, a publicarse en el 2012 y 2014, enfocarán el ascenso de Adolfo Hitler y la Guerra Fría. En una entrevista reciente con la cadena NPR, Follett dijo que él “quería de inmediato decirle al lector, ‘Ok, esto no será sólo una historia de reyes, reinas, primeros ministros y presidentes. También será una historia sobre la gente común que lucha a diario por salir adelante.” En efecto, gente común como la familia Williams que ha trabajado desde la cuna a la tumba, desafiando el hambre y la pobreza. Para los lectores que aman las novelas históricas, los eventos y personajes que han marcado nuestros días, este libro no puede dejarse de lado. Se trata de una obra muy bien documentada que fue lanzada a nivel mundial el pasado 28 de septiembre. Sobre el autor Ken Follett nació el 5 de Junio de 1949, en Cardiff, Gales. Desde joven demostró un especial interés por la lectura, filosofía y la política de centro-izquierda. Antes de dedicarse de lleno a la escritura, trabajó como reportero general de noticias. Follett es un exitoso autor de novelas de espías, thrillers y ficción histórica, con más de 100 millones de libros vendidos en una carrera que abarca más de tres décadas. Su primer opus, La Gran Aguja, vió la luz en 1974. Cuatro de sus libros han sido número uno en la lista de los mejores vendidos del New York Times: La Clave está en Rebeca, El Valle de los Leones y Un Mundo Sin Fin. Actualmente vive en Hertfordshire con su esposa Barbara. Para más información sobre La Caída de los Gigantes u otros libros, visite la revista literaria www.tintafresca.us

“La Montaña Invisible” de Carolina de Robertis

2010-10-03T10:22:21+00:00

El debut literario de Carolina De Robertis no ha podido ser más auspicioso. Su primer opus, “The Invisible Mountain” o La montaña invisible (Vintage Español, $15.95) ya es un superventas internacional. Ha sido finalista del premio Rhegium Julii Debut en Italia, el California Book Award en Primera Ficción y el VCU Cabell Novelist Award. Además, fue nombrado Libro del Año por la organización pro mujer SikhChic.com y recibió elogios de The San Francisco Chronicle y BookList. Por si fuera poco, el libro fue incluido en la lista de los recomendados por la revista O., de Oprah Winfrey. La montaña invisible empieza con uno de los personajes centrales, Salomé, escribiendo una carta a su hija adolescente, a quien dice “todo lo que desaparece está en alguna parte, nada desaparece de verdad” mientras recuerda las historias que ella no había vivido pero que le habían llegado como llegan las historias: en abundancia, sin avisar, con fuerza. Al escribir a su hija, Salomé también recuerda a su madre Eva y a su abuela Pajarita. Al comenzar el nuevo día de un nuevo siglo en Tacuarembó, capital del departamento (estado) del mismo nombre y ubicado al norcentro de Uruguay, siempre ocurren milagros que nadie puede explicar. En esta ocasión estamos en 1800 y los habitantes de la ciudad se aprestan a presenciar y recibir un nuevo milagro: la misteriosa reaparición de Pajarita, una infante perdida que, dice la leyenda, creció y formó un lineaje de mujeres feroces e independientes en Montevideo, la capital uruguaya. Viajando más allá del siglo XIX y de Tacuarembó, cuna de notables escritores uruguayos como Mario Benedetti, La montaña invisible se abre paso entre Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo y en las embajadas norteamericanas, hasta llegar a los turbulentos años 60. Las evocaciones de estos espacios, la historia, el amor familiar y, en especial, las complejas conexiones entre madres e hijas, convierten a este libro en una buen opción de lectura. Sobre la autora Carolina De Robertis creció en una familia uruguaya que emigró a Inglaterra, Suiza y California. Antes de dedicarse a los libros, DeRobertis trabajó en organizaciones de derechos de la mujer, en temas como inmigración y violaciones. Su obra de ficción, no ficción y traducciones literarias ha aparecido en ColorLines, The Virginia Quarterly Review y Zoetrope All-Story, entre otras publicaciones. Además, trabajó en la traducción de la novela chilena contemporánea Bonsdi, de Alejandro Zamba, que se publicó en 2008. De Robertis vive en Oakland, California, donde está trabajando en su segunda novela, Liquid City, sobre la hija de un capitán de la marina argentina quien, veinte años después de la dictadura, descubre el fantasma de uno de los desaparecidos en su sala y es forzada a confrontar los secretos que los enlazan. Para más información sobre La montaña invisible u otros libros, visite la revista literaria www.tintafresca.us

Coming To Your Local Bookstore: ‘El Chapo’ Biography

2010-09-28T18:23:31+00:00

The biography of the most wanted Mexican drug lord, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, written by journalist Malcolm Beith is now available at your local bookstores. The biography details El Chapo’s beginnings in Sinaloa to his rise as one of Mexico’s most well known drug lords. The book titled, “The Last Narco: Hunting El Chapo” was originally published by Penguin in England and is now available in the U.S. Many know about Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel but little about the brains behind it. His illegal feats and business empire is impressive for a man that started as an illiterate opium poppy grower. He is also Forbes’ #41 most powerful person in the world with an estimated net worth of $20 billion. The author is a Newsweek investigative journalist based in Mexico City.

El Placer del Sexo de Dr. Alex Comfort

2010-09-26T14:19:36+00:00

Escrito por el Dr. Alex Comfort, renombrado experto en temas de sexualidad humana y uno de los más versátiles autores del siglo 20, el libro se convirtió en un éxito internacional. Y lo sigue siendo hasta el sol de hoy. En esta nueva edición, totalmente revisada y actualizada por la experta sicóloga y terapista de parejas Susan Quilliam, El placer del sexo (Vintage Español, $29.95-tapa dura) pone sobre el tapete las necesidades y preocupaciones del lector moderno del siglo 21. Estamos ante un libro que celebra el placer de la intimidad física de los seres humanos con tal autoridad y claridad que es capaz de influenciar positivamente a una nueva generación para que disfrute plenamente el sexo sin barreras, sin temores y sin tapujos. Se sabe: hablar y tratar de sexo nunca es fácil, especialmente entre la comunidad hispana. Pero con tacto, paciencia y sentido común todo puede lograrse. La nueva versión, magistralmente presentada con más de ochenta ilustraciones nuevas y fotografías en color, aborda temas y contesta preguntas que no se plantearon y no se hicieron en 1972. Por suerte, los tiempos cambian y para bien. La seducción, el sexo, el embarazo y el placer clitorial son tratados con rigor y destreza, poniendo especial cuidado en los detalles prácticos y destacando la importancia de una vida sexual excitante, sana y saludable. Una vez más, El placer del sexo sirve de estandarte y consolida su puesto como el manual sexual más confiable jamás escrito. Por que el sexo es parte natural de nuestra vida y debe ser abordado como tal. Por que la sexualidad puede y debe aprenderse, practicarse y mejorarse. Sobre los autores Alex Comfort fue uno de los principales expertos en sexualidad humana y pionero en popularizar este tema. Sus manuales de sexualidad modernos se hicieron famosos por sus textos sinceros y divertidos sobre el amor y las relaciones sexuales. Fue un hombre multifacético: anarquista, poeta y novelista —escribió más de cincuenta libros e innumerables artículos científicos—, y uno de los cofundadores de la campaña por el desarme nuclear. A lo largo de su distinguida y variada carrera, el doctor Comfort trabajó como jefe de investigación de gerontología en el University College de Londres, fue profesor del departamento de psiquiatría en la Universidad de Stanford y profesor adjunto en el Instituto de Neuropsiquiatría en la Universidad de California, en Los Ángeles. Falleció en marzo del 2000 a los ochenta años. Susan Quilliam es la responsable de esta actualización de El placer del sexo. Psicóloga especializada en relaciones de pareja, trabaja para la revista internacional Journal of Family Planning, con la organización británica Relate —dedicada a la terapia de las relaciones—, y con una serie de asesores de la salud sexual y la disfunción. Además, es columnista, escribe artículos, participa en programas de televisión y ofrece conferencias en el ámbito internacional sobre temas relacionados con el amor y la sexualidad. Para más información sobre este libro, visite la revista literaria www.tintafresca.us