1 comments about Cosechando esperanza: La historia de Cesar Chavez.

1. A wonderful introduction to an important topic; beautiful illustrations. Fantastic for classroom use, or just for personal enjoyment. Definitely add this to your library!

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

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

5 comments about VIVA BASEBALL!: Latin Major Leaguers and Their Special Hunger (Sport and Society).

1. Excellent book about a side of baseball that is not often analyse, I really recomend this one...



2. Regalado provides a readable survey of the subject but his book is marred by failure to update his much-earlier academic dissertation on the topic, as well has his tendency at times to play rather loosely with the historical facts. It was Juan and not Luis Gonzalez who won a home run title, US sailors did not introduced baseball to Cuba on the Palmar de Junco field (see Roberto Gonzalez for the facts), pro baseball started in Cuba in 1878 and not 1868, Bobby Avila played for Almendares in the Cuban (not Mexican) league, Alejandro Oms did not play in the majors and Fidel Castro did not pitch for the University of Havana, Calvin Griffith was not Clark Griffith's son, Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos did not play for the Havana Sugar Kings in the AAA International League, Jose Santiago was Puerto Rico and not Cuban, and the 1891 Pittsburgh Pirates did not feature Ralph Kiner. This is a small sample of the bobbles which often marr an otherwise valuable casual fan's survey of Latino baseball.



3. This is a passable overview of Latin baseball history but one also filled with numerous smaller and larger errors (San Pedro de Macoris is not by any measure "a small Dominican town" and US sailors did not introduce baseball in Cuba at the Palmar de Junco field in 1866) plus careless treatment of ballplayers names (Luis Gonzalez for Juan Gonzalez, Pinella for Piniella, Roman Mejis for Mejias, etc. etc.). Also the author made little effort to update his work from its earlier incarnation as a doctoral disseration several years earlier. The effort could have been better.



4. Dr. Regalado did an amazing job with this book. It is a must read for any person that enjoys the history of baseball. Regalado wrote about a topic that doesn't get much attention and did so wonderfully.



5. "Viva Baseball! Latin Major Leaguers and Their Special Hunger" is a nearly effortless and highly entertaining read. Sam Regalado has managed to accomplished something very special: He has written a book for just about the full spectrum of the sports minded. Even if you're tangentially interested in baseball, you are likely to be griped by this heart warming story, which encompasses the hardships faced by Latin American baseball players, along with their "special hunger" to succeed, and finally their eventual triumph that gained them acceptance into North American professional baseball. For those students of history, Dr. Regalado, who teaches history at California State University,Stanislaus, manages to deftly weave in the important social /political and international events that shaped both the United States and the entire Western Hemisphere in the twentieth century. His treatment of the Cuban Missile Crisis, immigration trends and policies in the United States, and the tumult of Latin American politics, not to mention the farm workers movement led by Cesar Chavez and the racial politics of the 1960's in America, is clear, concise, and provides the reader with yet another lens from which to view these seminal events. Lest we forget this is a serious scholarly work, yet one that even neophyte students of history will find friendly.

   "Viva Baseball" brings a big smile to the faces of baseball fans as well, especially those who either lived the glory years of the 60's or have since become aficionados. He paints the legends of the San Francisco Giants, such as Juan Marichal (Dominican Republic), Orlando Cepeda (Puerto Rico) and Jose Pagan (Cuba) with such realism by relating fascinating anecdotes that reveal their struggles as dark skin immigrants to a largely hostile racial and nativistic society, and their amazing accomplishments both on and off the field. We witness a side of the great Robert Clemente hitherto hardly offered for popular consumption. He was portrayed by the press in Pittsburgh as aloof, temperamental and even hypochondriac. Clemente's sullenness was in reality a normal reaction to the racism he and other players faced and the unwarranted jabs thrown at him by sports writers. The true measure of the man was both in his classy prowess on the field and in his efforts to help those less fortunate, such as the event that claimed his life in 1973. The plane crash and sorrowful aftermath of Robert Clemente's death are portrayed with great emotion.

   My favorite story is of Luis Tiant Jr. Cold War politics isolated the Cuban member of the Boston Red Sox from his parents for fifteen years, until 1975 when Senator George McGovern apparently convinced Fidel Castro to allow Tiants to visit their son in Boston. The city of Boston, not known for its racial tolerance, rolled out the red carpet. Luis senior, who once objected to his son playing baseball in the U.S. because of prejudice, and Mrs. Tiant, watched their son win two games in the 1975 World Series. They both died the following year.

   "Viva Baseball!Latin Major Leaguers and Their Spceial Hunger" satiates a wide spectrum of readers,with many different appetites. With perhaps minimal intellectual engagement and reflection by the reader, Dr. Regalado demonstrates how sport has the capacity, not only to reflect important societal trends and events, but also to qualitatively transform society into a more just and tolerant order.

5 comments about Nobody's Son: Notes from an American Life (Camino Del Sol: a Latina and Latino Literary Series).

1. Nobody's Son: Notes From An American Life by Luis Alberto Urrea (who teaches creative writing at the University of Illinois, Chicago) is the deeply personal memoir of an American born to a Mexican father and an Anglo mother. Recounting a childhood thrust in the middle of different cultures and languages, Nobody's Son is about the search for balance, about coping with division and borders, and about the pain as well as the joy of being multicultural. Nobody's Son is a candid, engaging, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and very highly recommended autobiography.



2. From multinational beginnings impossibly diverse, Urrea leads us on a journey that explores how he became what he is, an American writer of the first order. Sometimes poignant, sometimes hilarious, always heartfelt, it is a wonderful journey for the reader. Before he can write from the heart, an author must first know his heart. Luis Urrea knows his, and shares it with us beautifully.



3. All his stories are written from his soul. They always have been. I wish that I could have taken the pain away from his childhood. I'm glad that I have known him. I wish him much success in all he does. I knew he was a great writer. I'm glad others are seeing how good he is now!



4. Luis Alberto Urrea is among the finest living writers. He has written about the border in three books. Nobody's Son is the latest. But he is not regional, not limited to a single geographic area. In Nobody's Son he moves from Tijuana and San Diego, to the Southwest, and further north to the high plains, in what amounts to a continuing journey. A journey across the land, through memory, in exploration of spirit. Urrea's story is uniquely American--the child of a Waspy, Wonder Bread white mother and a muy macho! Mexicano father, his is the story of those differences that divide us and yet hold us inevitably together. He is America's best kept secret, its soul.



5. Luis Urrea is the John Steinbeck of the border, offering a nostelgic, heartfelt, first-person experience of what it is like to grow up in two cultures, two cities (Tijuana and San Diego) and two worlds. He writes with passion, heart, and a gift for words in two languages.

No comments about A Fire in My Hands: Revised and Expanded Edition.

2 comments about From the Barrio to Washington: An Educator's Journey.

1. This is the autobiography of Armando Rodriguez who came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. His beginnings were humble but through hard work and a positive attitude, Armando has created a rich and rewarding life journey for himself. His story is inspiring, detailed and full of humor.



2. From the poor house in Mexico to the administration of four United States Presidents - sounds like an unbelievable mountain to climb in life, but that's exactly what Armando Rodriguez did. "From the Barrio to Washington: An Educator's Journey" is the inspirational life story of US Assistant Commissioner of Education of Armando Rodriguez who entered the nation speaking no English whatsoever but through a solid work ethic, truly made something of himself. He told his story to biographer Keith Taylor who has made Rodriguez's life story truly come to, pardon the pun, to life off the pages of "From the Barrio to Washington: An Educator's Journey". It deserves a space on any community library biography shelf, and is highly recommended reading for anyone who desire an awe-inspiring tale.

3 comments about Con Las Cuerdas Rotas/ Broken Strings: Una Historia De Perseverancia, Un Legado De Esperanza/ a Story of Perseverance, a Legacy of Hope.

1. El alma no desaparece con la ausencia del cuerpo. Las hermosas palabras de Soraya reverberan con la belleza que sólo su corazón es capaz de impregnarle a la vida. Este libro respira su luz, su necesidad de vivir al máximo y su deseo de que el resto del planeta lo hiciera. Su sinceridad es el hilo conductor de cada idea y es esta honestidad la que llega tan dentro a quien lo lee. ¡¡Simplemente, precioso:)!!



2. This is a tremendously inspiring book about Hispanic-American singer-songwriter Soraya, who lost her life to breast cancer at age 37, in 2006. It's an incredibly inspiring memoir that has broken records for Spanish-language books. It is now available to order in English, with 100 extra pages of memories, filled with pictures and stories told by friends, family and fellow musicians. Through this alternate story we learn things the humble Soraya would not have said: that in the final years of her life she became a world-class humanitarian, and that she was one heck of a musician. Enjoy. Soraya: A Life of Music, A Legacy of Hope



3. A veces nos quejamos de un simple malestar o porque el dia por una tonteria no nos haya salido bien, pero una vez uno lee este libro, aparte de que cuando empiezas a leerlo no lo puedes dejar, es una gran enseñanza de que las cosas pequeñas que nos enfrentamos cada día son bien insignificantes. Hay que tener mucha fe y valor para pasar por lo que pasó Soraya y a la misma vez continuar viendo la vida de la maner que ella lo hizo. Este libro me enseño a que hay que darle la importancia a las cosas que realmente la tienen y dejarnos de darle importancia a las tonterias que nos pasan dia a dia. Lo recomiendo 100%, si todos actuaramos de la manera que ella lo hizo, poniendo su ejemplo en las cosas que nos toca vivir todos los dias, creo que tendriamos un mundo mejor. Que pena que personas como ella, de tanta fe y tanta perseverancia, tengan que dejarnos, quizas porque de esta manera han cumplido su proposito en la vida y nosotros podamos seguir su ejemplo. Gracias mil por este legado de esperanza.

No comments about Orange County: A Personal History.

1 comments about Gronk (A Ver).

1. In recent years, Chicano art has received some of the respect long denied it by museums, critics and educators.
   
   This did not happen without such diverse supporters as comedian Cheech Marin and Gary D. Keller, director of Bilingual Review/Press at Arizona State University. Through the publication of handsome, well-annotated books and the preparation of traveling exhibitions, they and others have encouraged this evolution of attitude and opinion.
   
   Such advocacy continues. In 2002, the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press established the book project "A Ver: Revisioning Art History," billed as the only series on Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and other U.S.-based Latino artists. The center's director, Chon Noriega, edits the series, which is distributed by the University of Minnesota Press.
   
   The first book in the series is "Gronk" ($24.95 paperback; $60 hardcover with documentary DVD), a biography of the artist of that name by Max Benavidez, a Los Angeles writer and scholar. Through Benavidez's well-researched text, generously illustrated by Gronk's art and photographs from the artist's life, we come to understand not only the importance of his art but also the personal and historical events that inform his artistic vision.
   
   Gronk was born in 1954 and grew up in East Los Angeles. Benavidez notes that this predominantly Mexican-American community was "a place literally and figuratively outside the mainstream." Residents suffered from government neglect, poverty, gang violence and drug abuse.
   
   In this setting, Gronk was further marginalized when his father abandoned the family. Gronk was often left unattended at a young age because his mother had to work.
   
   Eventually, he discovered the public library and spent countless hours there, reading book after book, moving alphabetically through the shelves. When a librarian learned of Gronk's reading plan, she sternly but wisely told him to "start with the Greeks and then work your way up to the present."
   
   In addition to books, Gronk fell in love with movies and television shows of all genres and quality.
   
   As Gronk moved into adolescence, he still felt like an outsider, in part because he was gay. Benavidez writes that during this period of self-discovery, Gronk became such a master of reinvention that questions still linger about his biographical details. While Gronk says his full name is Glugio Gronk Nicandro, Benavidez finds conflicting evidence regarding even this seemingly simple element of Gronk's identity.
   
   In due course, Gronk gravitated toward like-minded young people as he began to develop as a playwright, actor, filmmaker and artist. He helped form Asco, a group of "self-styled misfits and cultural radicals" that originally included Harry Gamboa Jr., Patssi Valdez and Willie Herrón III. The late artist Jerry Dreva also had a major influence on Gronk's work.
   
   Gronk eventually created his most famous image, the iconic "La Tormenta," who is always depicted facing away from the viewer. La Tormenta wears long black gloves and a matching gown that plunges in a deep "V" down her back. As Benavidez notes, La Tormenta can be seen as Gronk's "glamorously stylish alter ego" who is "central to his artistic arsenal, that serves as a symbolic counterpoint of an 'authentic,' stable sexual identity."
   
   The political turmoil of the times also influenced Gronk's work. For example, the powerful "Black and White Mural" (a collaboration with fellow Asco member Herrón) was inspired by the 1970 Chicano Moratorium, a national protest against the Vietnam War. One of the more potent images depicted in the mural is the infamous killing of reporter Rubén Salazar by a sheriff's deputy who needlessly fired two 10-inch tear-gas projectiles through a curtain into the Silver Dollar Café in East Los Angeles.
   
   Benavidez offers a riveting, clear-eyed and contextualized midcareer examination of Gronk's development not only as an artist but also as a person.
   
   For more information on this exciting and much-needed book series, visit [...].
   
   [This review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]