Olivia Lopez

Warner

ENGL 112B

1 December 2004

Latino Literature

There is a lack of representation of Latino Literature taught to middle and high school youths. With the increasing amount of Latino authors and resources that are easier to obtain, these writings and resources should be utilized. The focus of this annotated bibliography is Latino Literature with an emphasis on Sandra Cisneros. It is important to teach a variety of subjects in literature from different ethnicities and cultures other than the usual �white� author.

The Bay Area has a strong Latino community and the educational associations need to cater to them. Focusing on only �white� authors and their experiences alienates the Latino youth, therefore causing a loss in interest in education and literature. Reading about familiar experiences of social protest, migration, exploitation and self-definition of Latino Americans in the United States, creates a common ground that can keep the interests of Latino youths. They can identify with social themes and experiences.

This is also an opportunity that allows non-Latino youths to learn and read about another culture. They can learn about Latino customs, heritage and the differences among ethnical backgrounds.

Authorized Sandra Cisneros Web Site, The. Ed. Grandview Park Design. 27 November 2004 <http://www.sandracisneros.com/home.html>.

This web page is very useful. It is set up in two sections: one for books and the second for �everything� else. The �everything� section has a link that identifies and dates all Cisnero�s publications and a link for interviews and reviews. There is an autobiography and a link for study guides and other helpful web sites on her writings. The book section has an individual web page for each of her publications. The individual page has a short synopsis of the book and some interactive games. The books also have bookmarks and when they are clicked on, short excerpts of the books are presented for a preview.

Bread & Roses Cultural Project. 1995. Sandra Cisneros. Women of Hope Latinas Abriendo Camino, 8-9.

The article discusses how in early years, Cisneros never felt a �connection to her education because it completely excluded her experience of growing up in a working-class Latino community�(9). Her influence for writing is to make this connection for other Latino Americans who live in the United States. Her writings identify �Mexican women living in an American society, but not belonging to either culture�(9). This division of two worlds often takes the stage in her writings and this solitude is crucial for her creativity. She states that she uses her writing as a form of �political activism�[and] has the ability to change peoples� attitudes�(9). She writes for the Latino community but also believes her message in important for the white community to hear.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Vintage Books: New York, 1984.

Esperanza is growing up in the slums of south side Chicago. As a Mexican American, she copes with the struggles of finding herself and becoming a powerful woman. This book deals with Esperanza�s reaction to people around her and how her experiences help shape her as a woman. The vignettes illustrates, through personal experience, what type of person Esperanza is and how poverty has affected her place on Mango Street. Along with displaying her views on life and how she views herself, Esperanza�s identity unfolds and she realizes that Mango Street will always be apart of her life. The themes of power, sexuality and the relationships of women is a strong message for readers to experience.

Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. Vintage Book: New York, 1991.

There are twenty-two stories grouped in three sections. Woman Hollering Creek are the stories of Mexican immigrants who have crossed the border to live in the American Southwest, �el otro lado�, the other side. This book tells the stories of how women across time have suffered the same victimization and alienation.

�Woman Hollering Creek� is a story of Cleofilas and her marriage to an abusive husband. Her story deals with the fade of romantic love and the realization of her life in alcoholism and poverty. Cleofilas is trapped by the social injustice of male dominance.

�Eleven� takes place on Rachel�s eleventh birthday. In school, her teacher brings out an old tattered sweater and tries to find the owner. The teacher believes it is Rachel�s and even though she protests, the teacher still makes her wear it. The story deals with the stereotyping of Mexican Americans.

Cisneros, Sandra. Loose Women. Vintage Books: New York, 1994.

This collection of poetry is a no holds bar of love, liberation and street smarts. �You Like to Give and Watch Me My Pleasure�, is a poem of how a woman negotiates relinquishing power to her husband sexually and �Old Maids� is a poem for reasons not to marry. The poetry is racy with topics from menstrual blood, letting a man into your heart and black lace bras. The speaker is a powerful, independent Mexican woman who, at times, boasts about it. The speaker finds her strength from her heritage and life experiences.

Cisneros, Sandra. Caramelo. Vintage Books: New York, 2002.

Celaya Reyes, known as LaLa, is the youngest, only daughter among seven siblings. She lives in Chicago where her family struggles to be successful in the Unites States as Mexican Americans. The annual family pilgrimage to Mexico City to visit �The Awful Grandmother� is a trialing, happy experience as she deals with her noisy, loving family. LaLa forms a relationship with her grandmother and obtains family stories, scandals and legends. She then creates her own version of the stories mixing fact with fiction.

Again there is the theme of coming-of-age and the eccentric characters portray the life and culture of Mexican Americans. The storytelling is compared to weaving and like life, can have loose threads and is tangled.

Bound By Honor: Blood In Blood Out. Dir. Taylor Hackford. Perf. Benjamin Bratt, Jesse Borrego and Damian Chapa. Holly wood Pictures, 1993.

Bound By Honor is the story of three Latino youths growing up in the barrio of East Los Angeles. Miklo, Paco and Cruz, have strong family ties and are further unified by gang membership. The gang membership and loyalty to one another is what ultimately tears the group apart and causes the tumultuous relationships they share.

The film introduces aspects of prison life, drugs and being a model citizen among Mexican Americans. It illustrates the presence of racism along with discrimination of classes, age and ethnicity.

Rodriguez, Luis J. Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Curbstone Press: Willimantic, 1993.

Rodriguez wrote this novel for his son, Ramiro, as a warning to stay out of the gang life. This autobiography tells of Rodriguez�s life as a youth and how he and his four friends created many gangs. His life was focused on gangs until a mentor offered him a way out.

This novel is a true description of what gang life entails in L.A. It chronicles his struggles, which lead to the gang life style and how he leaves that life behind. Rodriguez gives a voice to a different side of Mexican Americans. He tells a darker story those whose lives have been scared by poverty, racism and violence.

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. Scholastic Press: New York, 2000.

Esperanza has only known a life of privilege growing up in a wealthy family. After bandits murder her father, she and her mother, along with Miguel�s family, are forced to escape Mexico and travel to California. Esperanza�s world is turned upside down as she has to work to survive. She faces all the hardships and poverty that comes with migrant life. Along with caring for her sick mother, Esperanza realizes that she is stronger than she gave herself credit for. Through out all of these strains, she keeps hope that they will emerge from this and that no matter how much money one has, there is always love.

This novel is based on the true story of Ryan�s grandmother. Ryan has drawn from her cultural heritage and incorporated the less know history of the Mexican American migrant workers. The depiction of strong human values and the migrant Latino experience is cross-cultural and this novel reflects her commitment of speaking the truth through literature.

Veciana-Suarez, Ana. Flight to Freedom. Orchard Books: New York, 2002.

Yara Garcia and her family are force to leave Havana, Cuba and flea to Miami, Florida because of the hostile government Fidel Castro has created. The Garcia family disagrees with a communist government and does not want to live in a country that is tightly governed by a dictator. In a strange land with foreign customs and speaking broken English, Yara and her family build a new beginning in the Miami. Tensions in the family are created as she grows up in a more liberal environment.

The story is documented in Yara�s journal and tells about the adjustments made in dealing with exile and a less traditional life style. This novel mimics the personal experience of Vecianan-Suarez and her journey in leaving Cuba. The truth in her writing speaks on many levels and identifies the struggles of Cuban exiles and immigrants.