Book Review - Mambo Kings

Title: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
Author: Oscar Hijuelos
Publication Date: 1989

Hijuelos' "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" is a touching story of brothers who come from Cuba to the US in search of better lives and the opportunities to play the music they love - mambo. Having seen the movie before reading the book, it was very similar and equally touching and sad. The storyline about the brothers performing on "I Love Lucy" is just as the movies portrays. However, with the book, I found the ending long and drawn out. The story about the older brother, Cesar, after Nestor's death is long and repetitive. While the book did win a Pulitzer Prize, I was not as emotionally satisfied with the book as I was with the movie. It is a great read, and a big part of American and Latin American literature, but perhaps, if I had not seen the movie first, I would have more to say about the book. For those reasons, I say read it, enjoy it, but if you've seen the movie, its an okay read.

Book Review - Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions!

Title: The Daughters of Juarez: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border

Authors: Teresa Rodriguez, Diana Montane with Lisa Pulitzer

Published: 2007

Where to begin? Let's start with why this book is an important, must read for anyone interested in social justice issues - women/girls have been and are dying in huge numbers just a stone throw away from the United States, near factories owned and operated by American companies, with little to no real answers about why. Since 1993, Mexican authorities have brushed aside the importance of a full-fledged investigation of Mexican police, politicians, and federal employees who have 'investigated', met with, incarcerated, spoke to and are somehow involved in the homicide cases of over 400 missing/murdered Latinas. While Mexican officials claim that a majority of the murders have been solved, there are still women/girls missing and families that have yet to find peace.

This book takes readers through the 12 years of the Juarez murders, shedding light on Mexican authorities' lack of commitment to solving crimes and the overall government's mishandling of evidence and suspects connected to the murders. Rodriguez also interweaves real stories, directly from the families of the missing women, to give readers a real understanding of the confusion and frustration so many families deal with.

At times, in reading this book, you may want to throw-up, throw the book against the wall in anger, cry out of anger and/or sadness. It seems so far-fetched that a government with this many homicides and critics could be so arrogant in their investigations and proclamations. It is also astounding to think that these beautiful young women, who are working for less than $5 a day at American factories would be the target for such malicious and heinous crimes. What's worse is that it is, literally, a few miles from the United States. While of course, I am not saying that the US should have gotten involved in the investigations without the request from Mexico, and while I am somewhat relieved that Amnesty International and the United Nations got involved eventually, I am saying that it is worth pause that as American Latino/as we stop and reflect on what this means to us. I could have easily been one of these girls, brown with long dark hair, working to support themselves and/or their families.

Rodriguez and the other authors did an amazing job of explaining how investigations were botched and who was involved in the government and keeping these homicides from being successfully investigated. They also, respectfully, told the families' stories, and through these stories and this book, the hundreds of girls/women found and still missing will live on.

It is important to read this book, learn about the femicide that took place in Ciudad Juarez, remember the victims of these crimes, thank God for how lucky we are to live in the United States with laws that protect domestic violence victims and missing persons, and finally, to feel a connection to those who are suffering.

To learn more visit: http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/juarez.html
http://www.libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Lat_Mexico_Juarez_Femicide.htm
http://www.now.org/issues/global/juarez/

Book Review - Latino Vamps!

Title: The Bride of Casa Dracula

Author: Marta Acosta

Published: 2008

The very cool Bride of Casa Dracula was a great departure from Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and Stephanie Meyers' Twilight Saga. Complete with a little bit of romance, some blood (though in a very different way from the others mentioned above) and shapeshifters, the Bride was a fun and very cute read. Latina vampire Milagro de los Santos is preparing to wed her prince charming and vampire boyfriend, Oz. However, because of her special existence (the fact that she survived two vampire infections) and is one of the strongest vampires around, makes her the target of several attempts on her life and at the beckon call of the Council, or the vampire government. Acosta interweaves the Spanish slang into Milagro's dialogues and makes this heroine, a very sexy chica. While this book is the third of her Casa Dracula series, reading this book on its own was entertaining in and of itself. I will most definitely be on the lookout for the first two books to find out who Milagro came to be a vampire and her previous relationships with the vampires in the third book.

If you want a fun, "vampiric" read - then check out this one! It's really fun!