Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios (Latin America Otherwise) (Paperback)

~ The Latina Feminist Group (Author)
Key Phrases: Puerto Rican, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For a while in the late 1980s, it seemed as if all of Duke University's English Department had gone public with the complications and heartbreaks of the life of the star academic. After Duke's mainly white English Department finished telling their stories, the confessional narratives of academics have had a continued, and much more important, role as a genre where those marginalized by the academy for reasons of race or ethnicity tell about their complicated entry and then incorporation into the university system. In Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios, the 18 women of the Latina Feminist group, formed in 1993 and including Ruth Behar and Eliana Rivero, discuss immigrant and working class childhoods, developing a love of reading, an avoidance of K-12 teaching in order to partake of the larger promises of the (mostly literature-based) university positions.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"I write as much to discover as to explain," playwright Arthur Miller once declared. The same might be said for the authors of this groundbreaking anthology. Educators all, the 18 women whom the Latina Feminist Group comprises came together in 1993 to discuss their cultural and political identities. The group represents a diverse cross-section: lesbian, bisexual, celibate, and straight; working class and bourgeois; Christian, Jewish, and atheist; and of diverse national origins and skin colors. Its purpose was the exchange of testimonios, or what contributor Aurora Levins Morales calls "truth telling from personal knowledge." And what an array of truths they reveal. More than 60 essays, poems, and short stories explain how sexual harassment and violence stifle those who dream of educational and professional achievement; how anti-Semitism forces Jews of Spanish descent to feel uncomfortable owning their dual identities; and how ethnic prejudice collides with class indignities for low-income Tejanas, leaving them distrustful, depressed, and fearful. Throughout, sisterhood is celebrated, but not blindly. Competition between women is assailed, as is antifeminist backlash. Although the collection requires some knowledge of Spanish, it should be required reading for all women's studies, American studies, and American history students. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822327651
• ISBN-13: 978-0822327653
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #784,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Book, April 2, 2002

By	feministprof "feministprof" (philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios (Latin America Otherwise) (Hardcover)

Telling To Live is an important book that will serve as both inspiration and information-source for years to come. While calls for a more diverse scholarship permeate academia, so few books are written from the viewpoint of Latinas. The use of the "testimonios" format is particularly compelling as the authors relate their personal experience to larger political issues such as empowerment, invisibility, the body. This thematic organization makes the book particularly well suited for use in the classroom.

5.0 out of 5 stars Buenísimo!, March 20, 2008

By	Amalia Garcia - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great read for anyone who enjoys learning about real life Latina struggles and accomplishments. For Latinas looking for stories that hit close to home and warm your heart, lo recomiendo cien por ciento.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Book, January 19, 2007

By	J. Aragon "Feminist Educator" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Telling to Live fills the void by sharing the "testimonios" of the various Latina feminist writers in the book. The testimonios are poignant and at times hilarious.

I used this book in an upper division course and by and large the students liked the book. The Latina/o students were extremely fond of the book and it caused self-reflection on their part.

I own the book and have read it twice and know that I will continue to go back for the book for personal and acadmic reasons.