Review: Lats in La-La Land

Latinos in Lotusland Anthology shares stories of California

Ah, to be Latino and live and die in Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles. Or as L.A.-based band Ozomatli says on it’s City of Angels track (Don’t Mess With the Dragon album): “Let me tell you a little something about L.A. – I love it!” Other Latinos loathe it. And are victimized by its police, and marginalized by its history. The collected stories in the just-released Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature introduce us to a line-up of memorable characters: A Cuban-American screenwriter trying to pitch the “real” story behind the Bay of Pigs fiasco; drunken folklorico dancers; even a private detective hot on the trail of a famous, presumed-dead gonzo writer. Edited by editor/writer Daniel Olivas and published by Bilingual Review Press at ASU, Lotusland features 34 short stories and excerpts spanning 60 years of writing by some of the best Latino authors. If you ever wanted to know how and why Southern Califas is considered a international Latino cultural Mecca – for better or worse – buy this anthology.