Vatos (Paperback)

~ (Author), Jose Galvez (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

One evening, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Jos Galvez heard Luis Alberto Urrea read "Hymn to Vatos Who Will Never Be in a Poem" with its chant-like repetitions and its evocation of Chicano manhood. As Luis read each line, an image clicked in Jos's memory, and he knew that he had already taken that photograph. The result of that experience is this remarkable book.

Vatos is street slang for dude, guy, pal, brother. It sprang from the highly stylized language of the Pachucos (los chukotes) in the '50s. It's a Chicano term derived from the once-common friendly insult chivato, or goat. It had a slightly unacceptable air to it, which the Locos and Weesas of the Chuco world enjoyed. They were able to take the sting out of racism by calling themselves a bunch of names assimilated "good Mexicans" didn't like.

From the Publisher

A unique collaboration of two acclaimed artists, VATOS is a tribute to Latino men who are too often forgotten, ignored and misrepresented by the larger culture: children playing in the streets, migrant workers toiling for a better life, homeboys in the barrio, young men with their girlfriends and their mothers, blue collar workers, activists on the streets, sons, uncles, fathers, and grandfathers. VATOS recognizes their joys, their sorrows, their tenderness and their strength. Through Galvez' photographs and Urrea's words, they will not be forgotten.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938317520
• ISBN-13: 978-0938317524
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,055,588 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ethnic pride, May 2, 2003

By	Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transhistorical Portraits of Chicano Men/Masculinity, August 7, 2004

By	Hector Carbajal (USA) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book!, May 10, 2001

By	Carolina A. Miranda (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

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.