Customer Reviews

Vatos

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The title "Vatos" and the picture of the homies on the cover are a little deceptive as this book covers many different men in varied situations. There are also farmworkers, mariachis , Aztec dancers, lawyers, men with their mothers and daughters and children in church included but the vast majority are mostly your stereotypical images of hard core dudes or vatos. These are images of strength, of strangers in a strange yet familiar land. The beauty of the strength and yet vulnerability of the young and old men is frozen in time, locked into the moment for future generations. The pride and respect for family tradition, the refusal to assimilate, to stay seperate but within the confines of barrio pride and the cultural pride glow from these beautiful black and white photographs. The words or the poetry accomapanying the images make for a heartfelt experience revealing the deep conviction of Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Jose Galvez and award winning young writer Luis Alberto Urrea. The imagery is touching and gives a glimpse into the ordinary lives of people who have claimed a piece of the American dream through tinted brown glasses, squinting from the shiny veneer of traditonal American life. The vatos portrayed have claimed their own dignity even under undignified conditions. The pictures span decades of time and when you look at them you can't help but speculate about the people in them. When you see a young teenage vato, dressed in typical homie attire, you wonder where he is now and if his chosen path has detoured for the better or worse. Looking at the old men, the lines revealing the years , the paths of experience, the eyes looking at you showing the depth of their experiences , you can't help but feel the time lost. This book is a moving visual experience and a great gift idea. If you look closely into the eyes of the vatos you will see the ghosts of Moctezuma, Morelos, Juarez, Hidalgo and Zapata, shrouded in the flesh of the Huastecs, Olmecs, Maya, Toltecs, Zapotecs and Aztecs, rising from the barrios and fields of Aztlan to live another day.

Jose Galvez's "Vatos" presents over 60 photographs of Chicano men that appear to have been taken during the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, the images themselves outlast these historical time frames (which include the advent of the Chicano Movement) considering the multiple and diverse images of cholos, obreros, activistas, businessmen, abuelos and veteranos that prove everlasting in shaping the vision of nuestro pueblo.

Luis Alberto Urrea's "Hymn to Vatos Who Will Never Be In a Poem" is a fitting companion to the photographs. However, the photographs are so intense that they don't require any form of poetic explanation or translation. The eyes of homeboys in the barrio, the dark sunglasses on a tattoed vato in the hood, the abuelo cradling a young muchachita, the obrero overlooking the fence dividing the U.S. and Mexico, the brown brother adorned as Aztec, the young gay Chicanos hanging out in the street--all tell stories about our gente and the men shaping the Chicano/a community.

These images tell us so much about how Chicano masculinity is represented and constructed from what we see out in the streets. These images are reality. There are no stereotypes here. In other words, none of the photographs appear to have been "staged." All the photographs are documents--testimonios. Galvez presents these men in their most brave, most vulnerable, most wounded moments. Indeed, Chicano masculinity is much more complex and varied as you may think it is.

I would recommend this book for those interested in Men's Studies, Chicano/a Studies, and Ethnic Studies.

I have thousands of photos posted of Ciudad Juarez "most violent city in the world" and of the border region, including in local newspapers, including one body.

I work under the motto of "Often published, never paid."

Working with a similar culture in Tucson and Los Angeles, including as staff photographer for a major daily there, Galvez inhabits very similar territory, very successfully.

I stand as an intrusive tourist.

Galvez is one of the people, and so enters, respected, and accepted, and loved, but this is not the only secret to his success in these beautiful, touching, intimate photos made with people who felt safe and happy and proud to have his camera nearby peering at them.

I would love to hang out with him one day, to watch him work, to see how he enters the space of these very and rightfully cautious people, safely, inspiring confidence, even of gang members and bikers, and the tattooed . . .

I would love to see his latest work from Tucson, with all that is going on there, persecuting the people so much so the sheriff is now in court for racial discrimination.

I wish I could see much more of Galvez's work.

Truly he is all that I am not, including a professional photographer.

Any photographer of people has much to learn from this book. Any student of our oppressed culture gains much from a careful study of this book, of this culture which it is so profitable and popular to disparage and disperse and deport.

Please see this book carefully. It is truly a jewel, a rare and precious jewel and an inspiration and lesson for all photographers, including this timid and intrusive tourist.

oh, yeah, and then there is the great poem, by award winning novelist Luis Alberto Urrea, author of several novels, including By the Lake of Sleeping Children and recipient of many prizes for literature. Read this poem, and like me, weep. See these photos which unfold for us the heart and soul of this courageous people, this human race among us still.

Great book. Get one while we can.

This is a charming book of photographs by José Galvez, formerly of Tucson, and spare poetry by the renowned author and researcher, Luis Alberto Urrea. Edward James Olmos is quoted on the cover thus: "A tribute to Chicano men, to Latino men, to all men everywhere." The poetry is single line entries all beginning with "All the vatos...." Each line is illustrated with a photograph by Galvez. The photographs were taken mostly in L.A. and Tucson over a period of years.
Vato means guy, dude, buddy in street slang. A sample of the lines of poetry, "All the vatos waiting for tomorrow." "All the vatos sure that no one sees them." "All the vatos arms around their sisters." Unfortunately I can't give you samples of the sepia-tone photographs but you will find them irresistible.

Luis Alberto Urrea's touching poem could only be matched by Jose Galvez's stirring photographs, pictures that depict both the soft sides and the machismo of Latino men. This makes a wonderful Father's Day gift and is a must-have for the thoughtful coffee table.

This is indeed a moving narrative in pictures--the faces of Chicano men in their many contexts are masterfully caught by the unflinching eye of this photographer's camera, and they have many stories of agony and celebration to tell. The working class male does not hide behind any mask, and I believe that Urrea's precise lines of his poem in Vatos captures this sense of openness and honesty. The working class face is a public face, even when the camera explores intimate moments. I surprised myself making connections between the men of these portraits and the men of my own family, and even more startling, I found myself identifying with these faces, which only attests to the exact vision of this project. An important contribution to the history of our people.

An intriguing display of black and white photography of Mexican-Americans. Galvez uses b&w to explore the multi-dimensionality of his subjects and to depict an unrelenting realism. Galvez focuses more on male subjects and his treatment of them comes across as a silent celebration of thier life. As a person who is in the classroom with gang members from all cultures, "Two Generations" is my favorite piece in the book. An interesting dialogue with the reputation gangs have, and the need for children to just be needed. An exquisite addition to an American culture library.

I'm ordering a second copy. I was showing this book to a friend of mine, big tough guy, and it made him cry because it reminded him of his cousins. Beautiful pictures and beautiful poem.

I love the book. I guess I can forgive that it is a discarded library book fo which they charged me almost full price.

This uniquely candid portrait of Chicano men gives the reader an intimate, honest look into their lives. "Vatos" doesn't discriminate -- it shows all aspects of Chicano life to give a full perspective. The most interesting idea here is that Galvez and Urrea worked independently of each other, yet the photographs seem to work with the poem perfectly (and vice-versa). I suggest checking this out. The poem is provocative, with lines like "All the Vatos brave in deadly classrooms," and the black and white photos give a subdued effect.