| . |
should be required reading for people who find themselves having children before they are
ready for it! (There, I said it.) Bravo, Jo Ann on a solid and unforgettable literary
achievement.
López’s book touches on some of the same elements, but is a collection of ten short
stories, the first and last about the same characters, Roxanne, a little girl whose mother is
dealing with drug addiction. As a result she is sent to live with her “aunt” Lydia, who is her
mom’s cousin. In “Sugar Boots” a challenged step-grandfather is taking care of a young
girl named Cassie, another accidental victim of an unstable family situation. López also
writes about washed up telenovela characters, cats that refuse to be put down, and a
loveable Japanese character, Daisuke, who always apologizes for being late when he’s
early. Gay characters are presented nonchalantly and realistically as neighbors, a post-gay
realism that read refreshingly.
López knows her characters intimately, down to their last quirk and her prose is rich, visual,
and at times even disturbing. This is literary fiction at its darkest and finest—dark
Americana told through a Latina lens—and at times an academic lens at that. The
locations range from Los Angeles to Augusta, Georgia, and the shifts reflect in how the
characters comment on the weather, on the culture surrounding them—some even pine to
return to where they’ve left. This was not an easy read, but upon completion an eye-
opening one, and I look forward to reading more work from this accomplished Latina writer
and university professor. Latino literature seems to be exploding yet again, and this book is
one of the reasons why. Applause to both Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez and Lorraine M.
López for contributing these revealing works of uninhibited Latina consciousness!
CLICK HERE for more Charlie Vásquez www.firekingpress.com
ready for it! (There, I said it.) Bravo, Jo Ann on a solid and unforgettable literary
achievement.
López’s book touches on some of the same elements, but is a collection of ten short
stories, the first and last about the same characters, Roxanne, a little girl whose mother is
dealing with drug addiction. As a result she is sent to live with her “aunt” Lydia, who is her
mom’s cousin. In “Sugar Boots” a challenged step-grandfather is taking care of a young
girl named Cassie, another accidental victim of an unstable family situation. López also
writes about washed up telenovela characters, cats that refuse to be put down, and a
loveable Japanese character, Daisuke, who always apologizes for being late when he’s
early. Gay characters are presented nonchalantly and realistically as neighbors, a post-gay
realism that read refreshingly.
López knows her characters intimately, down to their last quirk and her prose is rich, visual,
and at times even disturbing. This is literary fiction at its darkest and finest—dark
Americana told through a Latina lens—and at times an academic lens at that. The
locations range from Los Angeles to Augusta, Georgia, and the shifts reflect in how the
characters comment on the weather, on the culture surrounding them—some even pine to
return to where they’ve left. This was not an easy read, but upon completion an eye-
opening one, and I look forward to reading more work from this accomplished Latina writer
and university professor. Latino literature seems to be exploding yet again, and this book is
one of the reasons why. Applause to both Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez and Lorraine M.
López for contributing these revealing works of uninhibited Latina consciousness!
CLICK HERE for more Charlie Vásquez www.firekingpress.com
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Latina Book Reviews
By Charlie Vázquez
The Throwaway Piece (Piñata Books, 2006), by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories (BkMk Press, 2009),
by Lorraine M. López
I’ve decided to review these books together, as they share a lot of themes and subject
matter in common, and all too often, those that typical male authors gloss over or
merely mention in passing—reading these books back to back launched me into a
Latina mental landscape that in some ways was not completely alien. These books
are also very different, as The Throwaway Piece is listed as a young adult novel and
Homicide Survivors picnic and Other Stories is literary adult material. Their styles are
also different, too, despite their shared universes of real and hard to discuss issues.
The Throwaway Piece’s central character is Jewel, a Latina teenage girl whose mother
has found herself in an unfortunate groove in life—bouncing from one bad man to the
next and dealing with substance addiction. Their realistic role-reversal finds Jewel
behaving as a tower of strength toward her mother Angela, who has her committed to
the foster home system, while she attempts to get her life together. But Angela calls
Jewel when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and as a result, Jewel’s development is in
some ways stalled, and in others, rushed. She becomes hard on the outside, as she
deals with issues that some of her peers will not stumble upon until later in life, if ever
at all.
Latina Book Reviews
By Charlie Vázquez
The Throwaway Piece (Piñata Books, 2006), by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
Homicide Survivors Picnic and Other Stories (BkMk Press, 2009),
by Lorraine M. López
I’ve decided to review these books together, as they share a lot of themes and subject
matter in common, and all too often, those that typical male authors gloss over or
merely mention in passing—reading these books back to back launched me into a
Latina mental landscape that in some ways was not completely alien. These books
are also very different, as The Throwaway Piece is listed as a young adult novel and
Homicide Survivors picnic and Other Stories is literary adult material. Their styles are
also different, too, despite their shared universes of real and hard to discuss issues.
The Throwaway Piece’s central character is Jewel, a Latina teenage girl whose mother
has found herself in an unfortunate groove in life—bouncing from one bad man to the
next and dealing with substance addiction. Their realistic role-reversal finds Jewel
behaving as a tower of strength toward her mother Angela, who has her committed to
the foster home system, while she attempts to get her life together. But Angela calls
Jewel when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and as a result, Jewel’s development is in
some ways stalled, and in others, rushed. She becomes hard on the outside, as she
deals with issues that some of her peers will not stumble upon until later in life, if ever
at all.
| . |
Hernandez paints a very real and colorful world of foster parents,
painful peer pressure and teasing, and internalized grief and anger.
As both a child of divorce and whose parents dealt with addiction
issues, I was made to think of painful memories—memories I
thought I had buried forever. This is powerful writing, even if written
for younger readers, as it never becomes preachy or pity-seeking. A
series of tragic incidents stun Jewel, testing her strength, and the
reader is thrown into a world both revealing and agonizing. This
book
painful peer pressure and teasing, and internalized grief and anger.
As both a child of divorce and whose parents dealt with addiction
issues, I was made to think of painful memories—memories I
thought I had buried forever. This is powerful writing, even if written
for younger readers, as it never becomes preachy or pity-seeking. A
series of tragic incidents stun Jewel, testing her strength, and the
reader is thrown into a world both revealing and agonizing. This
book
Miami's Gay Performing Arts Festival July 7-11, 2010 outinthetropics.fundarte.us |
