Raising Raul [Hardcover]

Maria Hinojosa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

An award-winning journalist's fresh, fiery, ambitious tribute to womanhood

In the Mexico where Maria Hinojosa was born, being a traditional woman was defined by one thing--becoming a traditional mother. But there has never been anything traditional about this award-winning radio and television journalist. By the time she reached her thirties Maria Hinojosa received her degree from Barnard College, had been a staff reporter for National Public Radio, became the first urban affairs correspondent on CNN, and was named as one of the 100 most influential Latinos in the United States. She had it all--or thought she did. But with the birth of her first son, Raul, she began to discover the meaning of what really matters. With humor, depth, and street smarts, Hinojosa takes us on a journey of family lessons and spiritual searching, of romance and intimacy, and of ambition and maternal love.

In powerful flashbacks and flashforwards, and filled with colorful stories and characters from her life, Raising Raul takes us on Hinojosa's motherhood adventure as she struggles not only to become the mother she wants to be but also to become the woman she wants to be. With the insight and passion of her award-winning journalism, Hinojosa gives us a story of personal history and self-discovery, and of all the fear, joy, and challenge that comes with being a woman today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On the face of it, this successful wife and mother enjoys the best of all possible worlds. A former staff reporter for National Public Radio and currently the urban affairs correspondent for CNN, Hinojosa, a Mexican-American, is married to G?rman, a "gorgeous Afro-Taino from the Dominican Republic," who is a talented artist as well as a supportive husband. The two are proud parents of Raul and his baby sister, Maria. Motherhood, however, did not come easily to Hinojosa. After joyfully announcing her first pregnancy to family and friends, she suffered first one miscarriage and, later, a second. On assignment in Cuba, Hinojosa consulted a Yoruba priest who assured her she would have a child; Raul was born by cesarean section a year later. Hinojosa describes both the highs and lows of reconciling American motherhood with her traditional Mexican upbringing, though there hasn't been much to dampen her spirits. Her love of life suffuses this warmhearted memoir, filled with anecdotes about Mexico, the Dominican Republic, her childhood and the fast-paced life of a journalist. Through trial and error, she solves the conflicts that arise when the Mexican way of raising a child conflicts with American ideas. Because she was still nursing Raul during a visit to Mexico, her mother informed Hinojosa that nursing longer than four months indicates to middle-class Mexicans that one is too poor to afford formula. Although raised to sacrifice career aspirations to the needs of her child, Hinojosa now accepts herself as a Latina mother who shares parenting and homemaking equally with her husband. 5-city author tour. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hinojosa is host of NPR's Latino USA and an urban affairs correspondent for CNN, but in this "coming-to-womanhood" tale, she has something else on her mind: motherhood. In Mexico, where she was born and which she visits here in flashbacks, motherhood is still viewed as the ultimate feat for a woman. Here Hinojosa draws on colorful stories and characters to chronicle her desire for a child and her heartbreaks on the road to successful parenthood. Predictable and even sophomoric at times, Hinojosa's narrative is nevertheless an informative tale of maturation and fulfillment, and her book could have a place in women studies and general collections.
---Kay Meredith Dusheck, Univ. of Iowa, Anamosa
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670884456
• ISBN-13: 978-0670884452
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,716,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INTIMATE MEMORIES OF BEING A NEW MOM, November 25, 1999

By 

David Hershey-Webb (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raising Raul (Hardcover)

Maria Hinojosa captures the anxieties and the rewards of deciding to have a child in the 90s. Her intimate descriptions of her relationship with her husband and her mom, were very movings. Her stories of wrestling with her identity as a mexican-american are told with great humor and wisdom. I loved her details of life in New York City, the great melting pot, where people from so many different backgrounds come together. Her book is a sociological and personal portrait that made me feel more prepared to take on fatherhood.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Readable, Moving , and Inclusive Memoir, August 4, 2001

By 

james denson (Hempstead, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son (Paperback)

Men have no reason to feel uncomfortable about reading and appreciating this book. I love Maria Hinojosa's memoir because it is easy to empathize with her efforts to become pregnant after past near misses. She writes about so much more than just pregnancy and motherhood, though. The book's richness resides in how honest and open she is about her struggle; and its impact on her relationships with her parents, husband, and friends. Even when she discussed painful topics and incidents, I detected no bitterness or sense of blame. Most of all, I appreciate Hinojosa's acknowledgement of spirituality as a constant pillar of her development. This is a rich, down to earth, and moving invitation into one woman's experience of parenthood, marriage, friendship, culture and love. Do not miss it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful and Flavorful, August 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Raising Raul: Adventures Raising Myself and My Son (Paperback)

Raising Raul was such a refreshing book to read because of Hinojosa's ability to keep me glued. I read it in two days. How did she manage to do that?? Her struggle to achieve motherhood is narrated in such a frank manner,with such flavorful intimate details;you just can't help but be drawn into her world. While the book in itself is wonderful I did have an objection. The name, Raising Raul, is a bit of a misnomer. I thought the book spent too much time on Hinojosa trying to conceive Raul rather than focusing on when she did have him which is what the title suggests.