1 comments about The Hispanic 100: A Ranking of the Latino Men and Women Who Have Most Influenced American Thoughtand Culture.

1. THIS IS THE BOOK I'D BEEN LOOKING FOR TO LEARN ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LATINOS IN EVERY AREA OF ENDEAVOR--MUSIC, SPORTS, SCIENCE, ART, LITERATURE...LATINOS HAVE GIVEN SO MUCH TO OUR COUNTRY AND THESE BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES REALLY GIVES THEM THE PRIDE OF PLACE THEY DESERVE! IT'S A GREAT READ FOR EVERYONE, FROM STUDENTS TO CULTURE VULTURES WHO WANT TO REALLY KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE TOPICS THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. IF YOU HAVE LATINO FRIENDS, THIS BOOK IS A MUST. IF YOU ARE LATINO, THIS BOOK IS A MUST. IF YOU LIVE IN THE WORLD, THIS BOOK IS A MUST!

1 comments about Isabel Allende: Life and Spirits.

1. The simplest description of this book is that it is a short biography of renowned hispanic writer Isabel Allende, translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden. It is based on a series of taped interviews between Zapata and Allende made at Zapata's instigation after many years of cajoling, following the beginning of their friendship in the 1980s. It was Zapata, a professor of Latin American literature at San Jose State University, who convinced Isabel, then a new best-selling author living in Venezuela and also newly divorced, to include California in a lecture tour promoting her popular novels in the USA for the first time. In their first meeting at San Jose it was Celia who introduced Isabel to the man who would later become Isabel's second husband, William Gordon. This in turn led to Isabel moving her home from Venezuela to California. The interviews that became this book occurred at regular intervals over a whole year in a rented hotel room near San Francisco Airport, half way between San Jose and Isabel's new home in San Rafael. In one interview Isabel says, "Why do I write? Because I am filled with stories that demand to be told, because the words are choking me, because I like and need to write, because if I don't write my soul dries up and I die." I like Allende's books, and I like her personally even more after reading this compelling biography. It's an easy read, and also includes a helpful chronology of Isabel's complicated life from 1942 to 2002.

2 comments about The Real Billy the Kid: With New Light on the Lincoln County War (Recovering the Us Hispanic Literary Heritage).

1. The Real Billy the Kid, by Miguel Antonio Otero
   
   There have been over 800 literary and cinematic representations of "Billy the Kid" that present varying view from murdering desperado to Robin Hood of the Southwest (Walter Noble Burns). Otero's book is the first from an Hispanic viewpoint (he was Territorial Governor 1892-1906). Otero personally met William Henry Bonney Jr. Most of the fictional representations used Billy as a means to their ends of telling a story. [Most Westerns were written by Easterners to provide entertainment that is more modern than the Song of Roland.] Otero's book contrasts from the Pat Garrett narrative, and is little known. The 'Introduction' displays Rivera's erudition, but "romance" or "tragedy" is best left to the reader.
   
   The Lincoln County War was caused by the commercial rivalry between the Dolan-Murphy faction (allied to the Sante Fe Ring) and the McSween-Tunstall faction. Otero had his reasons for this book, originally published in 1936 (p.xxxv). So to did Garrett and Upson (p.xxxvii). The 'Foreword' uses an unnamed source to claim that "Billy the Kid had no gun". That is unbelievable! Billy was an escaped convict condemned to hang; he would never be without a gun handy, night or day, since his life depended on a gun. Pat Garrett presented Otero with an autographed copy of his book (p.5).
   
   Chapter I tells of Billy's early years. He was often a nice boy, but had a terrible temper and was dangerous when angry. The stories of Billy's early life show his willingness to kill. Billy was also a "first-class gambler" (p.13). Billy gained from other's winnings (p.14). Chapter II tells of his fights with the Apaches. It was the Lincoln County War of 1878 that made Billy's reputation (Chapter III). The Murphy-Dolan company sold cattle to the government, some of it alleged to have come from John Chisum's big ranch (pp.28-29). Otero was a business ally of the Tunstall-McSween Company. One fraudulent scheme involved cattle (pp.31-32). Success went to the faction that was close to the politicians (p.45). Chapters V and VI tell of Billy's criminal activities.
   
   Chapter VII tells of Pat Garrett's ambush of Billy and his gang at Fort Sumner in December 1880. Billy escaped with most of his gang. Chapter VIII has the statements from those who knew Billy and like him. Mrs. Susan Barber, the widow of Alexander McSween, told what happened to her attorney (p.93). Chapter IX has stories from Lincoln, like Hijinio Salazar who survived the attack on the McSween home. Garrett shot people when they were disadvantaged (p.98). George Coe told of his memories, and Frank Coe too (Chapter X). Testimony about Billy's death is in Chapter XI. Martin Chavez tells his memories of Billy and the Lincoln County War (Chapter XII). Billy was one of the kindest ... he was not blood-thirsty (p.126). Billy "never killed a native citizen of New Mexico" (p.129). Otero tells when he met The Kid (Chapter XIII). Garrett and his deputies captured The Kid and his gang, and brought them to the railroad station at Las Vegas. Otero was on the train to Santa Fe and found Billy likable (p.133). Chapter XIV concludes this history by quoting Pat Garrett's story. Chapter XV provides a postscript about the principals of the Lincoln County War. As Governor Otero banned John A. Riley form Santa Fe. [This book provides another view into a minor event that was greatly magnified by writers to provide entertainment and a distraction to the reading public.]



2. Many books have been written about Billy the Kid and his exploits in New Mexico's Lincoln County War. Virtually all of these books, however, have relied on the same basic source of information, that being Pat Garrett's "The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid." Garrett, of course, was the man who killed Billy, and his book was written in part to justify the manner in which he had dispatched the Kid. Sadly, although based partly on the facts as Garrett understood them, his book reads more like a "penny dreadful," than a true biography, casting serious doubts on his book and those which followed.
   
   Fortunately for today's readers, Miguel Otero's book, "The Real Billy the Kid," doesn't trace its roots back to the Garrett book. Even better, it addresses Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War from an entirely new and unique perspective. Consider the following: 1) Otero actually knew Billy the Kid, although only slightly; 2) Unlike Pat Garrett, Miguel Otero had no axe to grind in writing his biography and, therefore, didn't need to embellish the story; 3) Since most of the people living in New Mexico at the time of the Lincoln County War were Mexicans, as is Otero, this book looks at the events of that war from an entirely unbiased point of view and a particularly unique perspective; and 4) In writing this book, the author interviewed those people, still living, who actually knew or were friends with Billy the Kid and who were living in and around Lincoln County at the time of the "war."
   
   This all led to what would appear to be a factual account with a minimum of fluff; Otero simply tells it like it happened. And here are a few other things which struck me about this book and the way it is written: 1) It puts the characters involved in the "war" in proper perspective and in the setting of their times; 2) It provides personal information about some of the participants in the war which I have never seen before; 3) It went on to explain what became of some of those who survived the war. The only disappointment to me about the book was in the way it ended. The author was discussing his interviews with those who knew the Kid, the questions he asked them and their answers. I kept thinking: "Ask this. Ask that." What valuable sources. I would have liked to have known even more. Bottom line - It's a good book and makes interesting reading.

1 comments about The Conquistadores: Building a Spanish Empire in the Americas (Proud Heritage: the Hispanic Library).

1. R. Conrad Stein has written enough books for the various series published by The Child's World press that he not only know the formula, but how to exploit it to his advantage. Like all of those other volumes, "The Conquistadores: Building a Spanish Empire in the Americas" is required to have four chapters, but Stein is allowed to have detailed sidebars in each chapter and he really takes advantage of that in this book.

   The first chapter on Spain and the Conquistadores explains how fighting for several centuries to free their land from Moorish rule created a warrior class in Spain that took advantage of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus to take armies across the sea to serve God and the monarch (and also to get rich). The other three chapters are devoted to the three most famous conquistadores, namely Hernando Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico, Francisco Pizarro and the Conquest of the Incas, and Francisco de Coronado, Explorer of the American Southwest. But then Stein also devotes sizeable sidebars to Vasco de Balboa, Discoverer of the Pacific, Cabeza de Vaca, the Compassionate Conquistador, and Hernando de Soto, Explorer of the Mississippi. The Time Line in the back of the book shows who was doing what when and where to help put each conquistador in perspective. The result is a nice introduction to a half dozen of the key conquistadors who helped to establish a Spanish presence in the New World on a level that is at least comparable to what you would expect to find in the early chapters of a standard grade school American history textbook.

   The book is illustrated with historic prints and paintings (the cover is a detail of Spanish soliders taken from Juan O'Gorman's "Historical Mural). The first eight volumes in this series, "A Proud Heritage: The Hispanic Library," were published last year and "The Conquistadores is one this year's eight new volumes. The others are devoted to "Christopher Columbus: Opening the Americas to European Exploration," "Emiliano Zapata: Revolutionary and Champion of Poor Farmers," "Frida Kahlo: An Artist Celebrates Life," "Hernando Cortés: Conquistador and Empire Builder," "Mario Molina: Chemist and Nobel Prize Winner," and "Pancho Villa: Mexican Revolutionary Hero," as well as a volume on "The Changing Face of America: Hispanic Roots, Hispanic Pride" (the first set had a volume on Coronado). Given that Hispanics are now the second largest ethnic group in the country the value of a series like this is better than ever.

No comments about Simon Bolivar (Pb) (Hispanic Heritage).

No comments about Mi Familia My Family (Somos Latinos / We Are Latinos).

1 comments about Bare Bones: A Surgeon's Tale.

1. Very interesting and sincere book of life experience and wisdom, indispensable for any orthopaedic practinioner; it's going to be an extremely exciting reading for anyone, concerned with orthopaedic surgery and modern medicine in general. The very epigraphs to the chapters are worth jotting down and being remembered through one's life. I'd especially recommend it to my fellows orthopaedic surgeons, who, in author's unvarnished narrative, would find their own practice events mirrored to some extent, and also feel themselves for a moment communicating with many legendary figures of American orthopaedics. It made me more humble and at the same time opened new horizons for my mind. A must-have book.

5 comments about Freak.

1. This is supposed to be a quasi-autobiographic look back at John Leguizamo's past. I know it is not to be taken literally. I know humor is born of pain. Still, I thought that this funny, funny guy let it all hang out in an odd way. I know it was greatly exaggerated and all, but I felt like I was the only sober one in a bar at 2:30 a.m., and there was this crying drunk hanging all over me, telling me his tale of woe. I'm not against pathos, it just struck me as a kind of strange rendition of the celebrity confessional. Still love him, though, and even bought another one of his books, which I like much better.



2. Freak was a one-man show in San Francisco and off-Broadway, then moved to
   Broadway, gathering Tony nominations. In October 1998 it was an HBO special. For most performers, comedians, it would be just another stand-up concert, a type of program common to HBO. But this is Leguizamo's "Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography" and he brings to it such intensity, such a variety of personalities -- as he remembers his family and friends -- that it transcends this description and becomes like, well, a Broadway play.
   
   John Leguizamo has had a remarkably varied career. Fans of the Spawn movie will recall his huge, even monstrous role there. His character and costume was very different in the oddly titled move To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. He probably reached one of his largest audiences early in his career in the usually pasteurized television mass market, briefly enlivened, energized and diversified by his "Latino variety show" "House of Buggin'."
   
   This is a book based on the one man show and HBO special, edited to be
   read, so it of course differs from the performances, which would include some ad lib. One might have expected to save the experience of this show with a tape, or a spoken-word recording, but this paperback is an inexpensive, permanent way to revisit and savor Leguizamo's work again and again, at your pleasure and convenience.



3. "Freak" is a fantastic piece of writing and an amazing performance by its writer, in his HBO one-man show. What I don't understand is why HBO wouldn't put it out on DVD. They've done it with Chris Rock's shows... If you can get your hands on a tape, watch it. It's funny and heartbreaking.



4. Like Augusten Burroughs' hysterical autobiography "Running With Scissors," Leguizano's family of loose screws made him a screwball, for better or for worse.
   
   At turns morose and gross, and gutbusting and bitingly real, you will transported by a family, though superficially unlike your own, eventually begins to resemble your childhood memories.



5. John Said Himself That This Was Based On His Life And How He Really Exaggerated It For The Play And Then To The Book.I Have Seen Part Of The One-Man Show On HBO And I Thought It Was Really Funny.The Book Contains Some Pretty Funny And Weird Subject Matter.I Think That The Elaberation Of The "Characters" In The Book Were Really Funny And Had Some Cool Dialoge.One Part I Thought Was Grose-Out Funny Was His Father's Way Of Trying To Get The KFC Lady To Help John Became A Man.It Is Certinaly Not For Delicate Ears And Open For Open Minds.Hope You Like My Review...Feel Free To Look At My Others.Bye,Bye Now.....Have A Good Day

2 comments about El Pueblo: The Gallegos Family's American Journey, 1503-1980.

1. Bruce I know that you keep tabs on this link, contact me at tewebob @aol .com Roberto Gallegos in Seattle



2. IT WAS NICE TO SEE HOW MY FAMILY CAME IN TO THE STATES. JUST KNOWING HOW THEY LIVED AND WHAT THEY DID, HOW THEY WERE TREATED AMOUNG OTHERS. I MEET MR.JOHANSEN AND MR.MAESTAS AFTER THEY WROTE THIS VERY FINE BOOK.THE ONLY WAY I READ IT WAS A FAMILY MEMBER LET ME READ IT. IF YOU WANT TO READ A REAL LIFE TRUE STORY AND HOW IT WAS.THIS IS THE ONE, YES IT'S OUT OF PRINT BUT IF YOU COME ACROSS THIS ONE YOU BETTER TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF AND RELAXE ON THE COUCH IT WILL SURPRISE YOU. GREAT JOB TO BRUCE AND ROBERTO, THANKS FOR WRITTING ABOUT MY FAMILY. CHRISTOVA J. GALLEGOS SR.

1 comments about Voices: African American and Latina Women Share Their Stories of Success.

1. This book looks like a coffee-table book...it is just gorgeous and the photo-portraits by Darcy Padilla are quite beautiful, but its purpose is much deeper. When I saw Oprah and a panel of minority men and women discussing the "Imus" controversy, the unanimous conclusion was that minority girls are in dire need of role models...I thought Oprah should hold up this book and say "Here are 50 amazing role models and they're not all 'celebrities' and one of the women profiled, C Delores Tucker, fought until her last breath to free girls from some of the ugly misogynistic, sexist messages of popular culture...every African American and Latina teenage girl in America should be given a copy of this book...what a PERFECT gift it would provide...role models, hope, mentors, positive messages in a beautiful volume. Hats off to the author and publisher!"