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Title: The Republic of East LA : Stories by Luis J. Rodriguez ISBN: 0-06-093686-X Publisher: Rayo Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.75 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Outstanding book
Comment: It's rare to find new literature about Chicanos in Los Angeles. Most I've found is set in the years from 1920 to 1970. This was a breath of fresh air.
I must admit that I hadn't heard of Luis J. Rodriguez before I read the books. What first attracted me to the book was the pretty girl on the cover. While the stories were compelling to me as a Chicano, I think the true beauty of the author's work is a truth that transcends racial and socio-economic background and most importantly, age.
Highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: Our Republic
Comment: Luis J. Rodriguez once again has painted a vibrant and complex picture of those who work, live, love and die in "The Republic of East L.A." Rodriguez's prose is straight-forward yet poetic as he tells us about the varied struggles of cholos/as, a budding journalist, a limousine driver, immigrants, working people, all sorts of gente. My favorite story is "Sometimes You Dance with a Watermelon," where forty-year-old Rosalba (an immigrant living in poverty and already a grandmother) needs to escape her crowded home to get a momentary bit of joy. She rouses her favorite granddaughter, Chila, and they drive to Grand Central Market where they buy a watermelon. Rosalba balances it on her head and starts to walk swaying "back and forth to a salsa beat thundering out of an appliance store." She and Chila get caught up in this joyous dance:
"Rosalba had not looked that happy in a long time as she danced along the bustling streets of the central city in her loose-fitting skirt and sandals. She danced in the shadow of a multi-storied Victorian -- dancing for one contemptuous husband and for another who was dead. She danced for a daughter who didn't love herself enough to truly have the love of another man. She danced for her grandchildren, especially that fireball Chila. She danced for her people, wherever they were scattered, and for this country she would never quite comprehend. She danced, her hair matted with sweat, while remembering a simpler life on an even simpler rancho in Nayarit."
This is a powerful, beautiful collection.
Rating: 4
Summary: A Ride Through East L.A.
Comment: The Republic of East L.A. is collection of stories set in a part of Los Angeles that even natives have not seen, do not know. Rodriguez has an eye for his culture and a sometimes imperfect way of telling a story that only adds credibility to the subjects he writes about.
That these stories have a rough edge, that they are not always perfectly told, is not important because they are poignantly told. Mostly they cross the barrio barrier for all to enjoy. Occasionally they don't. If you are interested in culture, speak Spanish or are familiar with Hispanic/American way of life, you will have no trouble. If you aren't, you will still find some of these stories worth a bit of a struggle. Especially "Pigeons." This tale about new Mexican immigrant prejudices against second generation Mexicans and vice versa is worth the entire ride through "East L.A."
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"
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Title: Always Running by Luis Rodriguez ISBN: 0671882317 Publisher: Touchstone Pub. Date: 09 February, 1994 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Locas by Yxta Maya Murray ISBN: 0802135641 Publisher: Grove Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: East Side Stories: Gang Life in East LA by Joseph Rodriguez, Ruben Martinez, Luis J. Rodriguez ISBN: 1576870723 Publisher: powerHouse Books Pub. Date: 31 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Concrete River by Luis J. Rodriguez ISBN: 0915306425 Publisher: Curbstone Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1991 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King (Illinois) by Reymundo Sanchez ISBN: 1556524277 Publisher: Chicago Review Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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