Latin Satins (Djuna Books) [Paperback]

Terri de la Peña (Author)

Book Description

Series: Djuna Books | Publication Date: August 23, 1994

The prize-winning author of Margins tells the joyous, spicy story of a group of Chicana singers--their love affairs, affection for one another, and dedication to their music--and tackles issues such as racism, homophobia, and AIDS. Original. IP.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When four Chicana members of a Santa Monica household perform around town as a lesbian singing group called the Latin Satins, songwriter/singer Jessica finds her job as childcare worker on the line, a victim of the combined homophobia and racism of her charges' mothers. Meanwhile, Chic, the band's aggressive leader, keeps her housemates on edge by sliding from bed to bed, offering her cool brand of sexual comfort to everyone-but especially to Rita, whose neglect of her six-year-old daughter distresses everyone. Costume-maker Rafi suffers from AIDS, and a small girl in Jessica's class also is threatened by that disease. Racism, classism, sexism, economic politics and a beautiful, bird-watching Chicana lover should provide ample material to give a novel life and meaning, but this book is as flat as its pages, as blank as their margins, as formless as pulp. Not even Jessica's saucy, spoofy lyrics can make her story sing. Instead, it stays mired in prose like "Holding hands, the singers bowed together, enjoying being validated." Sledgehammer anti-white rhetoric overwhelms each unreflective scene, while the author's chief thoughts on sexuality seem to hinge on proving that lesbians wear makeup too.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Pride and hopefulness shine through this novel about four Chicana lesbians who live together in Los Angeles and sing in a group called the Latin Satins. Performing mostly at street fairs may be fun, yet it doesn't pay them a dime. Therefore, with the exception of Jessica, they hold paying jobs that are more or less unrewarding. Jessica works at a day-care center, where she combines her love of music and children-that is, until her job is threatened when two mothers complain about Jessica's sexual orientation. All of the major characters in this book are believable and well drawn, particularly Arturo Tamayo, Jessica's loving father. One weakness in the narrative, however, is the occasionally awkward speeches condemning homophobia or racism; a better device would have been to allow the story's plot and dialog to deliver this message. Spanish phrases and words appear with frequency in the text, so some readers may want to keep a Spanish-English dictionary close at hand. A good choice for contemporary fiction collections.
Lisa Nussbaum, Euclid PL, Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press; First Edition edition (August 23, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878067524
• ISBN-13: 978-1878067524
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,887,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to Kirkus!, April 5, 1998

By 

Jay Sorensen (Bistrita, Romania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Latin Satins (Djuna Books) (Paperback)

Once again, Kirkus disparages a very good book by a beginning writer apparently simply because it has a multicultural message. True, at times de la Pena seems to lay it on a bit thick -- but prejudice is the theme of her book, after all, and for those who haven't experienced homophobia and racism first-hand, subtleties may well be lost in any case. What I most admire in de la Pena's work is her willingness to deal in ambiguities; "Latin Satins" doesn't end with a neat resolution, but leaves the reader hoping that the protagonist will overcome the struggles before her. A very interesting, very moving early novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars comment by author, August 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Latin Satins (Djuna Books) (Paperback)

This is not a review, but a comment by the author, Terri de la Pena. I just logged on to see if a synopsis existed for my forthcoming novel "Faults," (Alyson, 1999) and was surprised to see that "Latin Satins" is still evoking comments five years after its publication. No, it was never intended to be a young adult novel. Much to my surprise, the New York Public Library listed the book on its recommended list for young adults, which caused me a certain amount of pride and consternation. I certainly do not relish being the target of readers who think I would direct my fiction to young readers. And I'm not a beginning writer, either. Have been writing since I was 13 and am now 52! Hope y'all will like my new book . . . .