The Latin Deli: Prose and Poetry [Hardcover]

Judith Ortiz Cofer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1993

Through her beautifully lyrical writing, Judith Ortiz Cofer tells us of the women's lives that entangled with hers in El Building in Paterson, New Jersey.

A community transplanted from what they now view as an island paradise, these Puerto Rican families yearn for the colors and tastes of their former home. As they carve out lives as Americans, their days are filled with drama, success, and sometimes tragedy. A widow becomes crazy after her son is killed in Vietnam, her remaining word "nada." Another woman carries on after the death of her husband, keeping their store, filled with plantain, Bustello coffee, jamon y queso, open as a refuge for her neighbors. And there are Cofer's stories of growing up with a dictatorial and straying father, a caring mother, and a love for language that will lead to a career as a teacher and writer.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Here Ortiz ( Terms of Survival ) vividly depicts the lives of Puerto Rican immigrants through both poetry and prose. "Corazon's Cafe," for example, a short story, tells of a childless couple moving to Paterson, N.J., to open a bodega. But Manuel dreams of dispensing more than just food to people: he also offers them recipes, advice, specialties from home, and love. His wife's task is to make the visions of this dreamer possible. The book is full of strong female figures and explores the complexities of Latina identity. In "The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria," Cofer describes her own experience of the stereotypes of Latina women: before her first poetry reading, an Anglo woman tried to order a cup of coffee from her. Far worse is the treatment received from men, she believes, with their "Hot Tamale" idea of Latinas as "sexual firebrands." Even within the family lurk silence, darkness and oppression, as well as music and light. Some of Cofer's best work evokes the confusions of childhood, from which she has learned "that pain / is something you can embrace, like a rag doll / nobody will ask you to share."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Poet and novelist Ortiz Cofer offers her readers an affecting view of Puerto Rican New York in this autobiographical assortment of essays and poems. Her stories celebrate, mourn, and honor Latinas, collectively and individually, and also consider the influential men in her own life: the author's beloved, unknowable, philandering father; the first boy she loved; her heartbreakingly deteriorating grandfather. The alternating sections of evocative prose and narrative poetry first construct a vision of life in the busy apartments of El Building and the shops of its neighborhood, then comment directly on self, heritage, culture clash, racism, and sexism. A strong, moving set of daughter-poems finishes this slim but substantial volume. Recommended for ethnic, womens', memoir, and larger general collections.
- Janet Ingraham, Worthington P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 172 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press; 1St Edition edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820315567
• ISBN-13: 978-0820315560
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,586,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have Lunch with The Latin Deli!, October 23, 2002

By 

Katrina French (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Latin Deli: Telling the Lives of Barrio Women (Paperback)

This tasty book is full of the smells, textures, colors and lives of the Barrio. Lively, inspiring, heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking, Ortiz fills this book with individuals whose lives are both representative of immigrated people and yet strikingly the stories of every woman and man. Mostly comprised of short-shorts the occasional poem is also brought in. Not all of the characters are named, and there is a sense that the reader is sometimes getting both the history and the future of the same characters. Marvelously woven, this book is a tapestry of personalities, lives, tastes and aromas. Check this book out for something unique! May I also recommend that a cup of Cuban coffee goes wonderfully!