4 comments about Pride of Puerto Rico: The Life of Roberto Clemente.

1. I enjoyed this book so much. Coincidently I finished it just before seeing a ceremony in honor of Roberto Clemente with his widow Vera present at the 2006 MLB All-Star game. From reading this book I understand why the word "Pride" is always used when discussing Roberto Clemente. This book carres the theme of Roberto's pride from beginning to end. Pride not only in himself but in his family and country. Many may say this is not a book about baseball, but those who know the magic of baseball understand that you can't seperate the game from the players. It is the great person in the player that makes the game of baseball so wonderful. Roberto was a great baseball player and an even greater man. Puerto Rico should feel honored in having him as one of their native sons.



2. My 12-yr old son read this book for a report.
   He didn't complain too much and finished pretty quickly so I guess he liked it.



3. It was so good that when I received it, I could not put it down till the end. That night I went to bed at 4:33AM. Mr.Robert Walker, 2 thumbs up to a well documented piece of art. Again THANK YOU for this biography.



4. He palyed for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the youngest in his family, just like me. His dad made alot of money compared to the others that lived around them. Roberto rode his bike to another town to try out for a softball team. It was only a couple of miles from his home. His school was trying to teach him to speak English, and he didn't do very good, but he tried.

5 comments about The Account: Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's Relacion (Recovering the Us Hispanic Literary Heritage).

1. This is an excellent translation of an amazing account. Favata and Fernandez give an accurate and interesting rendition of Cabeza de Vaca's words. Their notes aid in understanding and appreciation of the story. I highly recommend this translation to anyone interested in Cabeza de Vaca himself, the time period, or just a good read.



2. This is a startling yet interesting tale of Cabeza de Vaca's journey through the southern U.S. These men suffered greatly through their journey and yet accomplished what they set out to do in the end.
   
   Truly a remarkable story of survival of the fittest.
   
   Highly recommended.



3. Texas history begins n 1528, when a hurricane sank a Spanish ship off the coast of Galveston Island. Four survivors washed up naked on the shore, including Governor Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and the black man, Estebano, who had been the slave of one of the drowned men. Thus begins one of the most remarkable adventures in history. This book is Cabeza de Vaca's first person account of his experience. He and his men first became the slaves of hostile coastal Indians who tortured them, but ultimately, after several years in captivity, escaped to go with other more sympathetic inland Indians. He describes the many Native American tribes he encountered, as well as their customs and how they lived. Most of them starved when not eking out subsistence on cactus fruit and nuts. The Indians had never seen a bearded face before and most were in awe of the Spaniards. They believed he had healing powers and demanded that he heal their sick. Cabeza de Vaca was a very pious man and called upon his god to help him. He prayed for patients, made the sign of the cross on their bodies, and extorted the promise that they would henceforth follow the true God. The sick Indians swore that they had been cured and Cabeza de Vaca became recognized as a powerful shaman, eagerly greeted by the Western Tribes who begged for his blessing. Cabeza de Vaca was North America's first lay missionary. Nine years after the shipwreck, he encountered quite by accident another group of Spaniards exploring New Mexico (and capturing Indians to enslave). Because Cabeza de Vaca insisted upon humane treatment toward the Indians, the cruel Spaniards imprisoned the crazy (and perhaps dangerous) naked man and took him to Mexico City. After living among the Indians for nine years, Cabeza de Vaca felt uncomfortable wearing clothes and could not sleep on a bed.
   
   This is an extraordinary story, full of wonder, horror and faith. It is a work of literature. Those with an interest in Texas history, Native Americans, or the Spanish conquest of America will find this easy-flowing translation extremely compelling reading.



4. Although this is a short narrative, the book presents the best description of early North American life I have read so far. The book is Cabeza de Vaca's autobiographical account of his participation in a failed Spanish expedition to colonize Florida in the early 1500's. Through a series of events, the members of the expedition end up traveling along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico into Texas and then overland into Sonora, Mexico. Only four members of the expedition returned to Spanish civilization, but they had earned the respect of many of the Indian tribes.

   The Account not only presents details of the journey but also presents general historical aspects of North American Indians and Spanish colonization in the 1500's. Cabeza de Vaca has performed a great service in documenting the practices of food-gathering, agriculture, slavery, trade, and spirituality among the Southwestern Indians. His narrative also highlights the the perils of 1500's exploration and the harsh attitudes of Spanish colonists towards Indians.

   The translators also deserve credit for their work. Using clear modern English, they have made The Account easy to read. They have also supplemented their translation with translation notes and histroical notes that are very useful, particularly in identifying locations in the text. Moreover, they have also included an introduction that places The Account and Cabeza de Vaca into a historical context.

   In summary, The Account is not only a great narrative of the personal history of Cabeza de Vaca's travels across North America but also an important document about early Spanish colonization and Native American culture. I strongly recommend this book for all readers.




5. If you thought that the only thing that the Spanish explorers did was pick up gold and enslave the natives, this book is for you. Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca was truly a modern man in the way he thought about people and things. Given only his wits having lost his clothes & food, he survives in a strange land for 10 years and walks out a reviered man among the natives. I had no idea anyone had done this. Our only regret is that he did not write more of his adventures and the socialogy & language of the people he lived with. Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca had more than the usual dose of Duty, Honor and Country about him, and he kept all three when adversity struck.

2 comments about Testimonios: Early California through the Eyes of Women, 18151848.

1. A great collection of newly translated transcriptions from a generation of women who witnessed dramatic events in California's history. Included is a several page narrative of my great, great, great, great, grandmother, Juana Machado.



2. I wrote this review specifically for a collection of newspapers published in the Salinas Valley, but I think
   it's more broadly understandable. Hope you do.
   
   
   California: Land of Immigrants who Quickly Become Incumbents
   
   Testimonios is an interpreted collection of interviews with thirteen women, primarily Spaniards, who spoke with researchers employed by Hubert Howe Bancroft as he prepared to write his seven-volume History of California. These women were most often second-generation Californios - the daughters of families who came with the expeditions lead by Portola or Anza. Several of the women are from the greater Salinas Valley area and one, Maria Antonia Rodriguez Soberanes, is an ancestor in what my family calls "the Soledad Soberaneses." Maria is great-great-great grandmother to Paul Binsacca, Craig Bianchi, Dana Bianchi, Nicola Bianchi, Kathryn Bianchi, Mary Tadman, Sarah Sarmento, Steven Terry, Jana Martinez, Kerry King, and me. I am sure there are many other Salinas Valley residents who can trace their lineage to her as well.
   
   And so what might we learn from my 3-great grandmother? One of twelve children, she bore fourteen children. Born in 1795, she married Feliciano Soberanes in 1810 and she died in 1883. In 1818, while living in Monterey, Maria remembers the appearance of a pirate ship. Women and children were dispatched to ranchos away from Monterey and the pirate Bouchard burned and sacked the city. By order of the Spanish governor of Alta California, munitions at Monterey's Presidio were destroyed rather than given over to Bouchard. At least for one cold, long night, Maria slept beneath a wagon with very little to keep her warm.
   
   Maria's recollection of the early economy of the Salinas Valley is fascinating. Tidelands with lagoons of salt water were claimed by the Spanish crown and soldiers protected the salt when it dehydrated and began to set. This salt was taken in sacks to the royal treasury in Monterey and then sold to Spaniards for use on their ranchos. These cattle ranches needed salt licks for the animals and salt to cure the meat. Thus, the Spanish government was able to tax the cattle industry, with salt being the currency of the day. The city of Salinas and the Salinas Valley take their name from the Spanish term for salt.
   
   Perhaps the most thought-provoking information shared by Maria, which is amplified by other women's testimonios, is a unique perspective on what I will call immigrants and incumbents. Feliciano and Maria are first-generation Californios and their parents arrived in our Salinas Valley in 1769 when the incumbents were Native American peoples. Within two generations, the Spaniards displaced the incumbents, cast off their status as immigrants, and populated large tracts of the valley. When Mexico pushed Spain out of its country, a Mexican army marched through Alta California to take the reins. No sooner than that political transition ended, Col. Fremont and the Americans arrived to drive Mexican rule south to our current border. Maria saw all four of these phases. She saw the Mexicans begin to secularize the California Missions to reduce the authority of the Catholic Church, and she watched the large ranchos held by the Spaniards given over to American settlers. King City and Soledad were once part of a Soberanes family land grant, for example.
   
   About the American phase Maria said, stoically, "It is a law of nature that the poor shall steal from the rich. We Californians in 1846 owned every inch of soil in this country and our conquerors took away from us the greater part. The same thing has happened, I suppose, over and over again in any conquered nation..." These are certainly the words of an incumbent, not an immigrant.
   
   California does seem to have a propensity to create incumbents just in time for the next wave of immigrants. And it's not always about ethnicity. John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath captures the collision of American immigrants from the Dust Bowl with California incumbents. Maria may well be on the right track - migration trends are about the redistribution of wealth and the motives and actions that are driven by poverty.
   
   I commend the editors Beebe and Senkewicz for providing enough context for readers who are not California historians. And, the editors include material about the interviewers and the information-gathering process, which makes the book interesting at another level. The 470 page book is a treasure chest for anyone interested in California history in general and activities in the Salinas Valley in particular.

5 comments about How I Learned English: 55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life.

1. How I Learned English (also published in Spanish as Como aprendí inglés) is a collection of essays written by 55 Latinos about how they mastered the English language. Some of them learned English from popular music, some from the movies, while others learned it the old-fashioned way - in a classroom. Tom Miller has gathered contributions from novelists, journalists, musicians, performance artists, physicians, athletes, entertainers, businessmen. They are natives of 11 Central and South American countries, three Caribbean islands -- including Cuba -- and Mexico. Some found it easy, other found it difficult. But for all, learning English was the key to success in this their adopted homeland.
   
   The idea of the book came to its editor Tom Miller when he moved from the East Coast to the Southwest in the late 1960s as a journalist. He found that most of the people he wrote about were people fir whom English was their second or perhaps third or fourth language. "And they carried it different from how they carried Spanish. They acted different. They had different body language. The pacing was different. The cadence was different. Their facial expressions were sometimes different. English is not just a language. It's a whole presence. And more and more, these people I was writing about became colleagues, they became friends. And eventually, I married into a Spanish- speaking family and watched, with wonder and pride, and my wife and my two stepsons as they acquired English." Miller believes that anyone learning a new language not only adopts a new persona, but also loses a bit of their old, pre-English persona.
   
   Ilan Stavans, author of On Borrowed Words, contributed an excerpt. "Each language has its own world view, its own personality. It allows its speakers to dream, to think, to make love, to engage with one another in different ways. Probably, there is no better language than Spanish and French to say I love you. The best language to say offensive words might be Yiddish. The best language to put together thoughts, to develop argument, to make a speech, probably, in my mind, is English. The way the language the sentences are shaped, the way one knows where to put a period and a comma and a semicolon, it gives me a sense of a very precise, very methodical, very clear cut civilization that knows where it's going, what it's after, what its mission is. I think that one of the beauties of speaking more than one language is precisely the fact that one can live in different universes, as in different mentalities, in different levels of existence by using each of them at different points."
   
   During his wife's pregnancy, one writer gets his twin daughters started in both languages. "I read them Pablo Neruda. And I read them Walt Whitman."
   
   Another intentionally forgets Spanish: "Now, almost 40 years later, when I try to remember an intentionally forgotten Spanish word, what I first recall is the heartbroken expression on my [grandmother's] kind face."
   
   Another writes, "Once you possess another language, your sense of reality changes. ... Suddenly the world seems twice as large, and twice as peopled, and more interesting than it did before."
   
   Ray Suarez asks in the Foreword how Latinos confront the "delicate dance between mastery and loss": "How American am I going to be? Will I still be that other thing -- Puerto Rican, Mexican, Cuban, Peruvian, Honduran?"
   
   Poet José Kozer advises that instead of using "beach" (which sounds too much like "bitch"), "I would say 'shore.' Some offer practical advice, carry a pocket dictionary, or to ask "older people who [don't] seem in a hurry" for directions. Others listen to Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Van Halen or Cyndi Lauper, or watch "I Love Lucy" or subtitled movies from the '30s and 40s, or compare ESL lessons with what they hear on the street. Time and again the books of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway are mentioned.
   
   Some of the essays in the collection are thoughtful, many are anecdotes. But all are intensely human. I empathized with every single one.



2. I confess (embarrassedly) that along with many Americans, I am not bilingual. But I know more than enough Spanish to get by and I get the basics of the struggle to understand or be understood in a foreign language, having lived in Japan for several years. The "Lessons in Language and Life" of How I Learned English are probably best enjoyed by bilingual native Spanish speakers, who have the ability to empathize with and appreciate the writings of the "55 Accomplished Latinos" whose words are included in the book. The contents of their stories fall into a few basic categories: how to improve ones chances of learning English, examples of ridicule suffered by English learners due to teachers and students equating lack of language proficiency with stupidity, joyfulness at their bilingual ability in general or the English language in particular, specific activities or incidents which facilitated their ability or desire to learn, and (my favorite) funny or embarrassing anecdotes about language-related mistakes or misunderstandings. How I Learned English is a good book for bilingual Spanish-English speakers, but can be appreciated by anyone who has ever tried to learn a foreign language.



3. For a change of pace, consider this new collection of essays, "How I Learned English: 55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life" (National Geographic Society, $16.95 paperback), edited by Tom Miller. The contributors include politicians, authors, scientists, athletes, educators, and others. One of my favorite essays is "The Learning Curve" by journalist Rubén Martínez. He recounts that "long before the debates over bilingual education or English Only or whether a hyphenated American was a real America," his parents decided that he, "their first child and American citizen by birth, would speak Spanish before English." This book will enlighten and, perhaps, lower the volume on the often incendiary debate over bilingualism in this country. [The full review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]



4. I heard this book reveiwed on NPR and it was just as interesting as they said it wuld be..



5. Aside from teaching 'new words,' the process of learning a new language teaches empathy--so sorely lacking in today's 'me-first' and 'sucks-to-be-you' world...EVERYONE who only speaks one language should be required to read this book--everyone needs to gain insight into what it means to find oneself in a parallel linguistic universe. Better yet, everyone should study a second (and third, and fourth) language!
   
   In today's increasingly charged immigration/language-debate, this book is essential. The essays and anecdotes speak volumes about human communication, separation, cruelty, kindness, understanding, and desires--all in a non-partisan, readable way.
   
   All people who work with the public--whether it be in customer service or education--should read this book. Just because a person can't 'say what s/he means' does not mean the person is stupid--linguistically challenged does not equal mentally disabled!
   
   Although the book deals only with the specific experiences of those whose native language is Spanish or Portuguese, those experiences translate into any language. Whether people want to remember or not, this IS a nation of immigrants, and so many of its citizens come from families who, at some point in the past, were the 'language-outsiders.' May we not forget...

2 comments about La Vida Loca (Always Running): El Testimonio de un Pandillero en Los Angeles.

1. This book was excellent! I read it in just a couple of days. Since I first started I couldn't take my eyes of what I was reading. The story is shocking and rude, yet interesting and mind-opening. It explicitly tells the struggles of growing up in a foreign country with everything against you and yet find the way to a new world full of possibilities. Excellent for tenagers, parents, and students.



2. THIS WAS ONE THAT COULD NOT BE PUT DOWN FOR LONG.I DO NOT READ ALOT BUT I TOOK A GLANCE AT THIS AND CONTINUED READING TILL THE END. IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING GREAT TO READ.MY EYES COULDNT GET ENOUGH.

5 comments about Rain of Gold.

1. I am Mexican American, and this book was reccommended to me by an Irish friend. I felt like I was reading my own history about my own family. Yes, there are scenes of violence and illegal acts, but that is not what makes any of us proud to be Mexican American. The faith in God and in family is what makes us proud of our heritage, and this book shares that while using the sour times in life to show just how sweet the sweet can be. I cried, laughed, and felt every emotion in between. I didn't want to stop reading, and I wish the book kept going. I am now inspired to find the stories of my family, and I am prouder than ever to be of Mexican heritage. I understand my family better, and I love my grandparents even more for what they went through. Thank you, Mr. Villasenor, for sharing this story with us.



2. I am a 57 year old gringo living in Southern Arizona and received this book from a friend of mine who is related to the author. I did not expect much and the beginning had me wondering if I would make it through all 500+ pages of small print. It did not take very long for me to realize that this book was well above ordinary. Prior to reading this book, I personally had gotten the most enjoyment from " East of Eden " and " The Agony and The Ecstacy " and place Mr. Villasenor's novel along side both. I cried and laughed like hell and as a lifelong Catholic, was deeply moved by the incredible faith of both of his grandmothers. Some of the other reviewers were put off by his technique, I was not. I very much agree with those who found great enjoyment from this book, as I had a difficult time putting it down and experienced a real sadness as I read the final words, I did not want it to end. Mr. Victor Villasenor is one heck of a storyteller and I feel blessed to have entered into his family through his written words.
   
   John Towle - Vail, Az.



3. This book was fascinating to me. It is a great depiction of historical events that I had not really known about regarding the Mexican people. It is very sad to see what an idyllic, beautiful and simple life these people had only to have it shattered by the revolution. Their beautiful and simple existence became a fight for life and a future of being treated like dirt by soldiers in their own country and by the U.S. when they tried to go someplace else. The author did a great job with imagery and emotion. I couldn't put this book down.



4. "Rain of Gold" was an absolutely brilliant novel! Once you start reading, you will stay up many nights to finish this book. The way Villasenor depicts every-day life, from the religious to the illegal aspects, is just amazing. Before I picked up this book, I did not know what I would be getting into. At first I thought that the idea of reading about a family that just immigrated from a war-torn Mexico into the United States would be dull. The book depicts what a movie or television could never depict; it expresses every thought and feeling of the main character, and the drama fails to disappoint. You will be filled with emotions along every chapter. READ THIS BOOK!



5. For such a thick book, Rain of Gold moves amazingly fast. The characters are likeable, mostly, and the book presents the story of Mexico, Mexican families, and being a US immigrant from Mexico early in this century. I haven't had a chance to read many books that share this particular story, and this one was refreshing.
   
   The author is proud of his family, and it shows. Rain of Gold fell short of making me cry or reconsider how I live, but it was thought-provoking. It's worth a read.

5 comments about G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles.

1. My husband and I recently heard a taped interview with Father Boyle that aired on NPR. We were very interested in learning more about his unique outreach efforts with LA Gang members. This book is excellent.



2. "G-Dog and the Homeboys" shows how Father Greg Boyle and a select few adults, including the author, completely changed the lives of teens in East LA. Greg opened the homies' and his followers' eyes to the world outside of their lives in their little neighborhood. Many kids would not think past selling drugs to earn a little extra cash, or firing off a couple of rounds of bullets in order to simply stay alive. Boyle changed all of this.
   In actuality, the homies were not violent, cruel, or evil kids at heart. Many had rotten home lives and joined gangs to find love. Others joined for protection. Gangs offered support if they were ever in serious danger.
   Father Greg understood and felt for these teens. Greg lent them helping hand in any way he could. He gave them money for school, jobs, even a roof over their heads. However, the best gift he gave the homies was his love and caring for them.
   As one follows the stories of numerous homies, one realizes how much of an impact one man, Father Greg, had on their lives. This story is touching, at times frightening, and over all, enlightening. It is highly recommended that you read "G-Dog and the Homeboys". Your eyes, too, will be opened to the world around you.



3. This book is quite unlike any other that I have read on crime or gangs, both in style and in substance.
   
   The style is very simple. Fremon makes no attempt to be objective. She makes no effort to put the story into any larger context. She does not come across like a professional writer of any kind. Her ego is absent from the work. Instead, she tells a story, a simple, moving story.
   
   The subject of her story is extraordinary. John Paul II liked to say that there are many more saints around us then we recognize. This story is another example of that. Father Greg Boyle is a normal suburban white guy who became a priest, and was sent to East LA. He found himself surrounded by gang violence. Nothing unusual in the story so far.
   
   But his reaction was extraordinary. He responded to the situation in a radically Christian manner. He did not get into any of the usual left wing politics or posturing. Instead, he offered the gang members uncondititional love, just as the Gospel teaches. He spent time with them. He visited them in jail. He visited them in the hospital. Whenever the guns went off, he was there trying to bring peace. In one extraordinary incident, he put himself between two gangs who were starting a fire fight, and told them that if they wanted to kill each other, they would have to kill him. He was risking his life doing this, and the gang members knew it. They did not shoot; his Christian witness brought them back from their madness.
   
   It took time, but the gang members responded to Father Greg's ministry with tremendous enthusiasm and love. It is an incredibly inspiring story. It reminds us of why we are Christians. It shows us the transforming power of Christian love.
   
   I would like to be able to draw some political conclusions from all of this. I would like to somehow replace our current approach to gangs with Father Greg's approach. I do not know how to do that. I can not see how to make his saintly approach work in ordinary political or police work. But I do know that we are all better people with someone like him among us. If we had more like him, the world would be healed.



4. A wonderful read that can be shared with reluctant readers to bring them face to face with their place in modern literature. A book that should be shared with more teenagers. A look at gang life/ prisons in our urban world through the eyes of someone on a shared journey. I shared this book and another series that Celeste wrote in LA Weekly (2005) with my students as a combination class: experience of life literature and morality. Father Boyle is a master at understanding humanity and our call to larger social responsibility. We are not permitted to dismiss the world around us after reading this book that tugs at the corners of your heart. Greg gives hope where it is needed the most - to everyone. If the opportunity to hear Father Greg Boyle speak presents itself, do yourself a favor and go.



5. Although I have not read this book, I did watch a lecture by Father Boyle given at Regis University. It is amazing what he has accomplished in LA with these gang members. It is a true testament to what God can do if given the chance!

No comments about Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Life Stories.

No comments about Ricardo's Race/ La Carrera De Ricardo.

1 comments about Mi Casa/my House (Somos Latinos / We Are Latinos).

1. My house is about the Rodriguez family and their home. I was excited to learn this family lives near my home. The pictures are wonderful. The author has taken much care when taking the photos.
   
   I enjoyed the dual language format. It allowed me to practice my knowledge of Spanish.