Martinez Books

I love this story. What a great way to get kids thinking abstractly about why things are the way they are! I have read this story to kids from K through 6 grade. It's a great introduction to space, the solar system, or any folktale unit. A must addition to any teacher's or parent's library!!

Ever wonder why the moon changes shape? This charming tale gives a wonderful reason that will make sense to children and adults. Poetic sense! In the English version, the language captures a hint of the Spanish that it was based on. The tale is told clearly and warmly and will be a delight to read to children and wonderful when they can read it themselves. The illustrations are fitting to the story. Highly recommended.

Incredibly constructed, beautiful artwork, intelligent writing, vast range of styles and humor. If you love comics, you couldn't get a better book!

This is a great anthology that will appeal to anyone who has enjoyed Raw, Drawn and Quarterly, Blab! and similar cutting edge collections of not-mainstream comics. "Rover" reads like Pogo done by Chris Ware, "Profiles in Tenacity" will appeal to fans of "Lenore" or anything by Jhonen Vasquez, and "Secret Santa" is such a great idea it's amazing that nobody thought to do it before this. And that's just scratching the surface of what's in this nifty little book.

Anna Martinez, of Deadwood, South Dakota, sent me this collection of poems and I read them straight through in one sitting. This work is far and above the pack. Some of the most intelligent poetry I've ever read is in this book.

The drawings by Rebecca Mulvaney of Aberdeen, of an abandoned house near Java, South Dakota, are as compelling and thoughtful as Martinez' poems.

Anna Martinez has a refreshingly clear and bold voice, and much of her poetry simply sings. I believe that Martinez is going to occupy an important place in literary history. These poems are masterfully crafted, and you will find phrases running through your head after you've put the book down. I return to some of these poems again and again, simply for the sheer joy in reading them.

I fully recommend "Notes from the Badlands" by Anna Martinez! She is wonderful person, very emotional, with big heart, talented, with good attitiude for life and I'm proud that she's my friend. I wish you the best for this book Anna and I know that it will be!

Not only is this a better book than his first, but it's even more potent, as well! I think this is a wonderful example of the traumatization of our lives, when we have to suffer through some terrible tragedy. And, even if we're not sure what's going on, or we think one thing is happening and another is really what's happening, there's always something or someone there who's going to watch over you.

Daniel's first novel, Queen of the Undead, wasn't too bad a thing to read - actually, it was very lyrical. Which, of course, is the reason I purchased his second book, which is quite lyrical in context, and so potently emotional in general that . . . man vs. self had hardly been demonstrated in such a way before. As Dr. Foray struggled to find answers to all of his questions, I struggled along with him - and when he found out the truth about himself and was devastated by it, I was devastated right along with him.

Not only was the first book a great read because of the imagery and lyrical style of Daniel Martinez's writing, but the second book was even better, and I would recommend it to anyone who's in the mood for a good read - and suggest we all watch out for more books from this guy.

If you love suspense you'll love this book. It kept me on the edge wondering who the stalker was and what they would do next. I had a hard time putting it down. I found to really care about the characters and felt like I was in the music world. I would strongly recommend this book. Ms. Martinez did an amazing job with it.

Marcy
Reviewer For Coffee Time Romances
Reviewer For Karen Find Out About New Books

Peek A Boo (I See You) is a romantic thriller set in the music world. The sensuous romance between Jenny and Dan plays out against the terror of a stalker who becomes increasingly threatening. Jenny and Dan's love is extremely romantic, and was a delight to read. I kept forgetting that Jenny, Dan and the secondary characters were not alive. The plot premise of punk rockers who decide to become more adult in their music as they themselves are adults is a wonderful background to the romance and the mystery. I am generally rather jaded when it comes to mysteries, usually I have them figured out before the end. However, Ms. Martinez is so clever in her explication of "who done it", that I only had a suspicion of "the bad guy" before the denouement. This is a perfect book and I can barely wait to read more of Mary Martinez's work!

This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in the serious study of civil rights in the modern multiracial United States. The authors have collected readings from a group of influential legal scholars considering a wide range of civil rights issues, from affirmative action, employment discrimination and hate speech to immigration law, language regulation, gender and sexual orietnation. Tightly edited, the selections are accessible and fascinating. Each chapter has a concise introduction, placing the chapter's readings into historical and legal context, and concludes with questions and suggested readings. The book is quite an achievement and well worth reading by civil rights scholars and students alike.

This book is a well thought out, logical approach to Critical Race Theory. The authors masterfully discuss and illustrate the concepts behind Critical Race Theory. A refreshingly honest approach without the paranoid Polly-Anna bent that has taken over some of the more high-profile personalities in the Critical Race Theory. I highly recommend this book to anyone who seriously contemplates race and the American society...

I bought this book out of my interest in Indian literature, but found that it resonated as deeply with my non-Indian womaness. Simple and clear, the writings take you all over the place and bring you back to yourself. Thanks to my Indian sisters.

I teach Native American literature. Since the publication of this book I have been unable to exclude it from my syllabus. Students almost unanimously have endorsed this choice, even when they had to shell out the money for the hardcover. Now that it is in paperback, no one should exclude it.

I only regret that an anthology of similar quality of organization, focus, and selection does not exist for male and female Native writers.

In the turbulent wake of Vatican II, many of us never learned--or learned badly the ESSENTIAL TRUTHS of our faith. The birth of the Charismatic movement,while authentically nourishing and giving roots to many; confused others. In this timeless masterpiece, Luis M. Martinez answers questions I had forgotten how to ask. It is a refreshing, pivotal link in coming home to the Truth we missed in those formative years.

In the noise of the world, this book takes you into a silence with the Holy Spirit in a manner I have not encountered before. It is a classic in the study and understanding of this often forgotten Person of the Most Blessed Trinity.

Learn more and greater insights into this, the Third Person of the Most Blessed Trinity as each page unfolds newer dimensions of His work within a world sometimes going seemingly mad. He is the Comforter and Enlightener, the Guide and Way to a deeper understanding of many mysteries. Do not pass up the opportunity to learn of Him Who is still active within the world and each one of us if only we will listen to His still, small voice.

Doc

Death is a really difficult topic to talk about, especially from the perspective of a kid. The author does it beautifully, and this book may very well make you cry. The father is strong, loving, and rightly adored by Chela. When the worst happens, Chela doesn't know quite how to approach other kids about the seriousness of life, but she approaches the reader with a sincerity that is consummate. While many current titles out there play to stereotypes about Latino families, this book paints a very distinct picture, without sacrificing that certain something that will help those that grew up within the culture to still say, "That's so true!" Non-latinos who have only been exposed to main-stream mass market fiction, will hopefully get a new insight and perspective.
It is admirable that Cinco Puntos Press puts out books that are truly good without relying on misguided ideas of "spice" and "color". Rather, they focus on really well written stories.

Great books, like great works of visual art, lie in the context of their creation and setting. We all bring in our preconceptions and bias, either consciously or subconsciously, and weigh in. The Smell of Old Lady Perfume asks us to check our prejudices at the door, and reaches for the common denominator within us, provoking empathetic laughter and dark sadness with each turn of the page. Indeed, by the time the book is complete, the reader has left behind childhood notions of the unpleasantness of old lady perfume. Claudia G. Martinez' debut novel forces us to grapple with no less than three universal themes: death, coming of age, and family. She does this in intelligent language that weaves together a series of chapters, each like individual petals pieced together to compose a flower. They illustrate complete panoramas of the complex and ever-changing life of sixth grader Chela Gonzalez, the book's protagonist, as she struggles to discover strength after the death of her father. And, whether male or female, young or old, from the northeast or the southwest, the story draws you in with unexpected humor, sympathy, anticipation and delight. This is a phenomenal accomplishment for an unusually young author, the likes of which had not drawn this male reader to young adult since Judy Blume's Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing, Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby, or Thomas Rockwell's How to Eat Fried Worms.

My 3 year old loves spongebob (i usually try to steer her away from him), she insisted on getting this book over all other valentine books. I was really surprised when I read it to her. The illustrations under the flaps are adorable - I was really impressed with the detailed valentine cards given by spongebob. I enjoyed reading this to her. This is definately one of the better spongebob books I've come across.

This book was a perfect gift for Valentine's Day for my two year old twins. They love SpongeBob and have most of his holiday board books. This was a great addition to their holiday collection! It is a very cute story which they enjoyed...the book is heart-shaped which is very appropriate for the occassion!