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New titles range from 'chica lit' to magical tales
It's the fall book release season and as the weather cools, the list of Latino-flavored releases grows. From easy chica lit escapes to thought-provoking political treatises, here are some of the newest books on the shelves.
ADOBE ODES
by Pat Mora
(University of Arizona Press, 152 pages, $15.95 paperback).
Pat Mora's stories are magical and no doubt these 49 odes to guacamole, chocolate, apples, rain and more will be the perfect book to curl up with on a cozy autumn afternoon. The New Mexican author crosses genres easily - don't miss reading Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart to your children, grandchildren or any child you know - and this, her sixth poetry book for adults, is inspired by Pablo Neruda's Odas Elementales.
LIVING BY LOS DICHOS
by Cristina Pèrez
(Atria Books, 208 pages, $14 paperback).
Pèrez starred as a judge on a Telemundo court show and crossed over to an English-language show, Cristina's Court, this fall. Pèrez, who also runs a Los Angeles law firm, is no stranger to offering advice and uses this book to show how popular dichos, or proverbs, can help in relationships, family and work life. The book also offers a personal look at Pèrez and her parents, who immigrated to the United States from Colombia. Pèrez says she wrote the book in hopes of passing the dichos that she learned from her mother to her young daughter.
HONEY BLOND CHICAS
by Michele Serros
(Simon Pulse, 304 pages, $14.95 hardcover).
While still in college, Serros challenged the assumptions of what it means to be Chicana when she hit the scene with a collection of short stories and poems, Chicana Falsa. Eight years later, she continues to challenge those stereotypes in her first book for young adults, which was originally released in the summer and is being re-launched this fall. In her signature sassy style she tackles high-school drama with the story of Evie Gomez, part of a group of affluent Mexican-American California teens who call themselves the Flojos, a name that describes both their laid-back attitude and their flip-flops.
THE HOLY VOTE - The Politics of Faith in America
by Ray Suarez
(Rayo, 326 pages, $24.95 hardcover).
In this election season, a slew of new political books have hit the shelves. Suarez, a respected Latino journalist, takes on the increasing polarization in the country between the conservative and church-affiliated "Red America" and the secular and socially liberal "Blue America." Suarez, who is a senior correspondent with The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, tackles all the big issues - marriage, abortion, school prayer and a chapter on what the nation's increasing diversity could mean to the debates - and includes historical background on religion and politics in the U.S.
SENATOR DENNIS DECONCINI - From the Center of the Aisle
by Dennis DeConcini and Jack L. August Jr.
(University of Arizona Press, 280 pages, $29.95).
In a recent radio interview promoting his political memoir, Tucson-native DeConcini told the story of how Gov. Raul Castro helped him gain statewide recognition by appointing the then-Pima County Attorney to head an important anti-drug task force. Shortly after, a young DeConcini began an 18-year run in the U.S. Senate. This book tells the story of his role as a centrist Democrat who worked both sides of the aisle. August, who is director of the Arizona Historical Foundation, co-wrote the book which includes DeConcini's thoughts on the Keating 5 scandal. The co-authors are scheduled to appear Dec. 14 at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.
SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS
by Caridad Pineiro
(Downtown Press, 304 pages, $13 paperback).
This chica lit novel set in Miami follows four single friends as they deal with the surprise elopement of one of their own. With the trendy setting and the requisite sexy jobs - Sylvia is a gossip and nightlife reporter and Juli and Adriana run a hot South Beach restaurant - it promises to be a fun read. Cuban-American Pineiro is known for her romance novels, including a vampire romance series. A sequel is already planned for release in the spring.
SOR JUANA, or the Breath of Heaven,
by Paul Anderson
(Carroll & Graf, 752 pages, $19.95 paperback).
Critics raved last year over Anderson's epic Hunger's Brides, a mystery spanning three centuries and centered on the life of the Mexican poet Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, who is considered one of the greatest writers of the 17th century. For readers who may have been intimidated by the original 1,360-page, four-pound book, Anderson offers this pared-down novel, which includes solely the "essential story" of Sor Juana, from her beginnings as a child prodigy to her life as a nun and the mysterious vow of silence she took two years before her death.
JUAN AND THE CHUPACABRAS
by Xavier Garza
(Arte Publico Press, 32 pages, $14.95 hardcover).
Garza is a Texas storyteller who brings one of the most popular Mexican tales to life in this picture book for children ages 3 to 7. After hearing one of Abuelo's scary stories, cousins Juan and Luz arm themselves with a slingshot and a bag of marbles dipped in holy water to hunt for the chupacabras. Garza has written two other bilingual children's books; this one includes a Spanish translation by Carolina Villarroel.
