Cool Salsa [Mass Market Paperback]

Lori Carlson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 1, 1995

"Poetry with a distinct flavor: a skillfully mixed appetizer."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Here are the sights, sounds, and smells of Latino culture in America in thirty-six vibrant, moving, angry, beautiful and varied voices, including Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros, Luis J. Rodríguez, Gary Soto, and Martín Espada.
Presented in both English and Spanish, each poem helps us to discover the stories behind the mangoes and memories, prejudice and fear, love and life--how it was and is to grow up Hispanic in America....
"The subtle but singing lyrics frequently have a colloquial tone that will speak to many young readers."
--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred)
"Excellent enrichment...Whether discussing the immigrant's frustration at not being able to speak English...the familiar adolescent desire to belong, or celebrating the simple joys of life, these fine poems are incisive and photographic in their depiction of a moment."
--School Library Journal (starred)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This spirited, significant collection of poetry for young adults by poets of Latin American heritage is enlivened both by the considerable energy of the poems and by the juxtaposition—and sometimes intermingling—of English and Spanish. . . . The collection is eminently successful in celebrating the particular experience of growing up Latino in the United States.” —The Horn Book, starred review

“Whether discussing the immigrant’s frustration at not being able to speak English, the violence suffered both within and outside of the ethnic community, the familiar adolescent desire to belong, or celebrating the simple joys of life, these fine poems are incisive and photographic in their depiction of a moment. Some of the poets are well-known, others are not, but all contribute to the whole. The Spanish translations capture the sense of the English so well that without the translator’s byline one would be hard pressed to discern the original language. The same is true for those few poems translated from Spanish to English. This is . . . excellent enrichment material for literature courses.” —School Library Journal

“As hot as jalapenos and as cool as jazz, this collection serves up ‘ingles con chile’ and Spanish that ‘you feel in the blood of your soul.’ Lyrical, traditional poems share space with street-smart free verse, and works by the likes of Sandra Cisneros and Gary Soto are juxtaposed with entries from lesser-knowns. Illustrating the ‘beat and pulse’ of generations of U.S. writers of Latin American heritage, the poems are presented both in the original and in translation; poems making use of both languages are easily accessible to English-only readers by virtue of an appended glossary of Spanish terms. In his introduction, Hijuelos focuses on the ‘unrelenting, unending sense of second classness’ that his parents experienced as Cuban emigrants and explains how this ‘sense’ affected his uses of English and Spanish. The political agenda is not hidden, but the potency of the volume lies in Carlson’s eclectic selection of voices—her volume approximates what one poet here calls ‘a Mixtec chant that touches la tierra and the heavens.’ ” —Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Lori M. Carlson is an editor and translator who has concentrated on bringing Latino literature to American readers. As co-editor of Where Angels Glide at Dawn, she introduced new Latin American authors to younger readers. She is the founder of the bilingual children’s magazine Azul. Most recently she edited American Eyes. Ms. Carlson lives in New York City.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044970436X
• ISBN-13: 978-0449704363
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.4 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Spanish

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It was delightful and entertaining! August 6, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This book was very enjoyable. I bought the book to give to my great neice. There is poem titled "God, Why am I brown?" My family has married a lot of anglo's so most of all our neices/nephews and the great neices/nephews are all very light coloring. But this one great neice came out dark with black hair. I feel pure joy and pride when I see her. But, she gets teased about being dark and has asked the question "why am I dark and the others are not". So when I read the poem, I knew I had to give it to her. It has given her pure joy. She is now OUR Aztec princess. She now has a good come back when asked why she is so dark. Thank you for the book. I hope you will publish more like it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Andres January 3, 2001

By "stealth_18_1"

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Cool Salsa Edited by Lori M. Carlson is a book that brings Latino culture in America to life. The majority of the poems are both in English and Spanish. However, 5 of the poems are written in English and Spanish both. It is very interesting to see how words in Spanish translate to English and also English to Spanish.

The most interesting part about the book is looking at the way the Spanish translates to English. Most of the Spanish lines endings are; -a, -ar, -o,, and -os. In one of the poems the majority of the Spanish words end with -er or -ar but translate to words such as jump, run, and shine in English. Also the rhythm is hard to maintain when the translation of the poems occur. Basically poems turn to stories and stories to poems.

"Good Hot Dogs" is a story about how two Latino children go and eat a hot dog every day after school. When the go it is very exciting. It is a cheap way to gather and not wreak havoc. The Latino Culture is not significantly different from American Culture.

"Dia de los Muertos" is one of the poems in a language that I like to call Spanglish. This poem discusses the difference between our fear of death and the Latin embrace. The day of the dead is a holiday and is explained in this poem.

The most confusing of all the poems is "An Unexpected Conversation". It talks about the relaxing time. A mother and daughter are sitting in the garden. A quote is made to the father and I can not figure out what it means.

"Race' Politics" by Luis Rodriguez is a poem that shows the hard ships of Latino American's in our country. It is a story of two brothers who decided to cross the tracks to get the "good food". The two Mexicans were only six and nine when beat up by five American teenagers. This is one of the few poems that shows strong suffering and hardship.

"Nothing but Drums" discusses different items that can be used as drums. This poem starts out with a description of conga drums and ends with "oars dropping...into-the-water" drums. Through this poem a person can understand that sometimes when the correct item is not available others can be substituted. And example would be a bucket for a drum.

"Solidarity" is the happiest of all the poems. After every line there is an exclamation mark. The people being spoken to are animals, water, and a diamond. The diamond is told to shine just like diamonds do.

Some of the authors include Oscar Hijuelos, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros, and Gary Soto. Oscar Hijuelos is the 1st Hispanic Author to win a pulitzer prize for fiction. Ana Castillo and Sandra Cisneros are noted for being "modern american poets". Gary Soto has won many awards and his name can be recognized by most as an author. All 4 were born in the 1950's.

Oscar Hijuelos' award winning novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" is about the time of Cuban influence on America. Ana Castillo and Sandra Cisneros are noted for publishing Latin poetry. Gary Soto writes about th lif and the struggles that people go through.

All in all I enjoyed Cool Salsa a lot. The poetry contains such descriptions that make it easy to mentally visualize the scenes. The Latino culture can find good in all. A person can not help but feel these poems.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars TEACHERS April 18, 2001

By K. Cottingham

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Great for offering multicultural poetry to students. Poems are mature and interesting and written in both Spanish and English.