Book Review by Jose B. Gonzalez In Unfinished Portrait: Poems, newcomer Luivette Resto has put together a poetry collection that recounts the types of experiences that too many Latinos in the U.S. have encountered. And that is the beauty of this book–its themes, though at times tragic, at times somewhat comical, resonate with any Latino …
Book Review by Jose B. Gonzalez When I first glanced at the title of this children’s book by Jennifer Cervantes, I couldn’t help but be distracted by the word, “tortilla,” which like “mambo” and “salsa,” seems to be ubiquitous in Latino literature. But after reading the book, I couldn’t resist the craving for a tortilla, …
Book Review by Jose B. Gonzalez When I first talked to Sandy Taylor, Co-Director of the little press that could (and has), about Aracelis Girmay, he described her as “the real deal.” Coming from the same publisher who essentially discovered Luis J. Rodriguez and published his bestselling book, Always Running, that seemed like very high …
Book Review by Jose B. Gonzalez With a curious but intriguing title, The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez pulled me in, though I have to admit that at first I hesitated. After all, just the thought of Old Lady Perfume makes conjures up memories that are not so pleasant. I imagined …
Book Review by Jose B. Gonzalez Allusions to Samba, a photo on the book cover of someone playing a drum in a costume found at a carnival all belie what this book is about. Kathleen de Azevedo’s Samba Dreamers is a book about immigration, but not the rote tale of immigration we’ve read 1,000 times. …
