Short Story Collection

Voices in First Person: Reflections on Latino Identity

Lori Marie Carlson (editor)
New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers,
2008
84 pp.
$16.99
Short Story Collection
ISBN: 1416906355

"Wanting to belong, wanting to go home, love, regret, family legends, dreams, revenge, English, Spanish."

This short story collection written by twenty-one Latino authors from the US and various Latin countries runs the gamut of human emotions. From the whimsical "Barrio ABC's" and the bantering between two boys as they compete "for the most original description of their hometown" to "Last Week I Wanted to Die" a monologue filled with teenage angst about "not fitting in," this book has something for everyone.

The reverence for religion, love and respect for family, memories, and prejudice are interwoven themes throughout. In “Darius and the Clouds” a young “girl recounts her friend’s definition of God” as they stare up into the pillow-like cloud filled sky at “that one next to the one that looks like popcorn. That one there. See that? That’s God.” In “The Evil Eye” a girl remembers her grandmother’s advice on how to protect herself from falling victim to the evil eye. In “Poultrymorphosis” and “God Smells Like a Roast Pig” the authors fondly recall familiar smells of roasting meat as they recollect days gone by. In “Reclaim Your Rights as a Citizen of Here. Here,” “I Stand at the Crosswalk,” and “Oh, Beautiful?” the authors explore the prejudice they face on a daily basis. Whether it’s the proverbial “Where are you from?” or the stare they get from being in town long after the tourists have left and their services as domestic help is long gone too, they feel it.

As I wrote this blog I found myself playing the dual role of both Siskel and Ebert. By that I mean that many times I would watch their movie reviews. I would listen to one and think that the movie sounded good. But then I’d listen to the other and realize that it actually doesn’t sound good. That being said, I wasn’t crazy about this book. I did enjoy some of the stories, but many I did not like and I do believe that this was my least favorite of all the books that I have read. Some of the stories were written in a free verse poem format that did not appeal to me. Two stories “Angels’ Monologue,” about a young man in prison, and “Mujeriego” about burning down a packed nightclub as a final act of revenge, glorified violence too much for my taste. In fact I would say that given the religious overtones and violence in some of the stories, I don’t think I would recommend this book for students under 18. I would even go so far as to say this book is for college students. In the college setting this book would be extremely appropriate, especially in light of recent events concerning illegal immigration in Arizona.

For students ages 14 and up you could recommend these books by Matt de la Peña. Although they are fictional and not short stories I think they would be more enjoyable for students.