Latino Books

Professors Diaz-Stevens and Stevens-Arroyo have done both the academic and the religious community a great service by both describing and analyzing Latino/a religion in the United States. They bring current concepts from sociology, culture theory, and theology to what is a too-often overlooked topic -- the ways in which growing Latino/a populations are changing the United States, as well as being changed by them. The book has a developed historical focus, and also makes suggestions about the future of scholarship on American religion. Obviously this is a necessary book for those interested in Hispanic Americans and for those interested in American religion. But it is also helpful to those who want to get a firmer grasp on the directions in which the United States is heading at the beginning of the new century.

This book is a "must read" for all serious students of the contemporary Latino/a religious, cultural, and political experience in the United States. The authors bring assorted research skills and first-hand knowledge of many of the individuals and movements they describe in filling in a complex picture of social change in churches and society. In so doing, they provide an important overview of Latino religious experience (both Protestant and Catholic). This is a story that has been told in a largely piecemeal fashion up to this point. Profs. Stevens-Arroyo and Diaz-Stevens also rightly call social scientists to task for a general neglect of the varieties and vicissitudes of Latino religion. Their book provides much needed clarification of the term "Latino," along with an array of contemporary social and census data on Latinos in the United States. This study also provides valuable insights into the dynamics of organizational change and the role of individual leadership in turning (or, in some cases, failing to turn) religious instititions to the advantage of a group in the form of social, cultural and political movements. Most significantly, Recognizing the Latino Resurgence in U.S. Religion illuminates the dangers of entangling the Latino experience--religious and otherwise--with that of Euro-Americans and Afro-Americans, or of naively assuming that Latinos are following the assimilationist model of the Euro-American experience. The American penchant for thinking along racial rather than colonialist lines is also subjected to a much need critique vis-a-vis the Latino experience. The text is dense at points, but always engaging and filled with provocative insights into the ever-changing dynamics of religion and culture in American society. This book is highly relevant to a variety of topics as diverse as ethnic and intergroup relations, the theology of popular religiosity, Latino religion(s), social change, organizational dynamics, studies of identity formation, multicultural pluralism and the complex role of faith experience in American political and social life.

I love reading Selena so much I would rather read a book about Selena than go to school.I think all ages should read this book.she was famous for her singing.I admire her so much.I love for you to read it and admire her as much as I do.

If you have no information on Selena then this book is a good starting point. This book is well presented with a beautiful front cover of Selena and many good colour photos inside. The chapters cover Selena's beginnings her road to success and and also gives an insight into her aspirations to become a fashion designer. Her relationship with Chris later to become her husband are touched upon as is the the hugely successful concert at the Alamodome in San Antonio a week before her death. The book features details about the search for an actress to play Selena in the film which eventually starred Jennifer Lopez. As much as I enjoyed the book and I think it is excellent value for money I wanted more information and more detail. 46 pages somehow doesn't do justice to the legacy that Selena left behind. If your daughter is doing a project on Selena at school as mine was then this is good source of reference.

When Barry's father dies, he leaves three things behind for his teenage son: his belief in Barry's will to succeed in life, a love of boxing and a Ford Galaxie worth more money than his wife can make in six months.

In order to help out his poor, tired mother, Barry makes a deal with his best friend Alby that puts everything he's been left at stake.

Rene Saldana, Jr.'s THE WHOLE SKY FULL OF STARS is a story about the intricacies of teen friendship. Although Barry and Alby have been friends since kindergarten, Alby, whose family is better off, uses Barry to make up for gambling with Ciro, the school thug. Without telling him the truth, Alby convinces Barry that he should participate in a big, risky fight scene, with Alby as his manager. What Barry doesn't know is that he'll be trading his hard-earned brawn for bread he'll never see.

With the specter of Barry's proud dad weaving throughout the story, Saldana catches Barry on some slippery slopes from which there is no chance for a return. It's a story about growing up, trusting others as well as yourself, combining nerves of steel with physical bulk, and the price that is paid when you choose brawn over brains.

The background of the book is shady --- the undisclosed town where the boys live, the school they attend, the work their parents do. Saldana could have enriched the novel with details from the life that Barry leads and the more well-to-do upbringing that Alby comes from. It would have made the financial worries of Barry seem even more dire and added a sense of ennui to Alby's involvement with the bad guys. But the boys, through their dialogue with each other, hash out the philosophical details of their relationship with great fervor, so a young reader may not miss the more literary elements of the story as I did.

The action sequences are well-written, while the feeling of the punches and the pain of the boxing matches are recorded effectively. THE WHOLE SKY FULL OF STARS was written obviously to engage teen readers who want a plot that keeps moving forward. If only there was more to go on about the place and time of Barry's travails, Saldana could have filled a spot in the literary firmament that has been empty since the days of S.E. Hinton.

--- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

THE WHOLE SKY FULL OF STARS is a story about the strong bonds of friendship. Through the experience of the main characters readers will learn that true friendship can survive.

Barry and Alby have been friends against all odds. Barry's father's recent death from cancer has put a huge financial strain on life for him and his mother. They never had much before and now that is stretched even thinner. Alby, on the other hand, doesn't need to worry about cash. His dad is a successful car dealer and his mom is a lawyer. Yet, the two boys have been friends since the first grade.

Alby finds himself in some trouble involving his gambling debts. With the help of his friend Barry's boxing skills, he hopes to concoct a scheme to take care of both the boys' needs. The Man o' Might fighting contest offers a chance for Alby to win what he owes in gambling debts, and, hopefully, provide some financial relief for Barry and his mom.

At first reluctant to get involved, Barry finds that preparing for the fight helps him remember the good times with his dad. They used to spend hours together working out on the bag and down at the gym. When they weren't boxing, they were working on an old 1964 Ford Galaxie that Barry might someday drive to the prom.

Will Alby's crazy scheme placing side bets on Barry's boxing abilities have what it takes to ruin their friendship? Rene Saldana, Jr. provides the answer in this fast-paced read that is sure to please even reluctant middle grade boys.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Some great tunes here from "El Moreno". I prefer the merengue to the bachata if not I would have given it 5 stars.

There's little work of the Modernista poets available in English, so whatever there is becomes important. Silva was Colombia's contribution to the school--the Latin world's answer to French Symbolism. Sadly, Silva's novel After-Dinner Conversation is more Decadent than Symbolist and to my mind wears less well than his infrequently-translated poems. Silva certainly is offering anything here that hadn't been seen in the works of Wilde, D'Annunzio and Jean Lorrain. I'm glad that someone took the time to make this novel available to English-speaking readers. I just wish they had tackled the poems instead.

This is an excellent, but short, autobiographical story of the author's youth focusing on music and how it tied individual family members together. Vivid artwork enhances the story. Brief references to Mexico's fight for independence could open further discussion. Each page has English text with a Spanish translation below. An excellent read-aloud for 8 and up.

This is a bilingual book - Spanish on one page and the English equivalent on the facing page. It's a great way to work on your Spanish if you already know a bit of grammar and vocabulary. If you are a complete beginner you might want to start with something easier, but if you have been studying for about a year this is a great book to continue with. The story is engaging and well-written. Mr. Sagel has several other bilingual books that are a bit quirkier but still a lot of fun to read.

"Big Bushy Mustache" combines text by Gary Soto with illustrations by Joe Cepada. They tell the story of Ricky, a young Latino boy. His teacher is planning to have the class put on a play about Cinco de Mayo, and Ricky will get to wear a costume mustache. But Ricky gets into a jam when he disobeys the teacher's instructions.

This is a fun book with an effective Latino flavor. Ricky is an engaging young hero. However, there is a weird gender identity subtext surrounding Ricky's feelings about the mustache; in my opinion, this aspect of the story is handled awkwardly. Otherwise this is a good choice for a multicultural collection of children's books.

If you are looking for a textbook, this isn't it. On the other hand, if you want a book of puzzles, fill-ins and worksheet-type activities for a unit on the Southwest, this will fill the bill. Great resource for home-schoolers!

This book is when Blue's friends come over, but it rains. The friends then go on a treasure hunt for various items -- at the end Blue makes a puppet stage & puppets out of the items. Teaches imagination. It is well written with nice illustrations. Great for kids who love Blue and who don't alike. Great for getting deeper into reading Spanish. You will want to be a native speaker though as there are 3-4 sentences per page; about 30 pages.