Module 14: Cool Salsa

Carlson, Lori et. al (1995). Cool salsa. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning Corporation.

Summary

This is a collection of poems written by various Latin American authors. The poems are diverse in their style and subject matter. They are written in Spanish and English.

Worth Another Cup of Tea?

Yes, this was a very interesting collection of poems, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I thought it was very interesting to see the differences in cultures and also how the cultures are blended.

Reviews

As hot as jalapenos and as cool as jazz, this collection serves up "ingles con chile" and Spanish that "you feel in the blood of your soul." Lyrical, traditional poems share space with street-smart free verse, and works by the likes of Sandra Cisneros and Gary Soto are juxtaposed with entries from lesser-knowns. Illustrating the "beat and pulse" of generations of U.S. writers of Latin American heritage, the poems are presented both in the original and in translation; poems making use of both languages are easily accessible to English-only readers by virtue of an appended glossary of Spanish terms. In his introduction, Hijuelos ( The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love ) focuses on the "unrelenting, unending sense of second classness" that his parents experienced as Cuban emigrants and explains how this "sense" affected his uses of English and Spanish. The political agenda is not hidden, but the potency of the volume lies in Carlson's eclectic selection of voices--her volume approximates what one poet here calls "a Mixtec chant that touches la tierra and the heavens." Ages 12-up.--Publishers Weekly

This collection of eloquent and intensely personal poems by twenty-nine Latin American poets resonates with the conflicting emotions, cultural diversity, material hardships, sweet memories, occasional heartbreak, and joyous incidents that underscore the lives of those of us who have grown up as Latinos in the United States. From personal experience I can vouch for the authenticity of feeling and candid insight of these impassioned voices that clamor to be heard, and I understand the daunting task of a youngster coping with a strange language and unfamiliar customs while dealing with the marked differences between a deeply traditional home environment and the enticing wide open world waiting outside. We straddled this intangible but very real fence on a daily basis; as a result, and as demonstrated in these poems, we developed dual psyches, a cultural hybridization of sorts, not at all an unhappy condition since it allowed us to function in two very different worlds while holding fast to our ancestral heritage. The vivid images in these pages range from, among others, the fear of identity loss in Luis Alberto Ambroggio's Learning English; the difference in cultural customs in Dia De Los Muertos by Abelardo B. Delgado; the touching memories of a distant homeland in There's An Orange Tree Out There by Alfonso Quijada Urias; a heartfelt plea for understanding in Ana Castillo's We Would Like You To Know, as well as the joyful romp of Aquatic Show by Daniel Jacome Roca, and the free- wheeling rhythms in poems such as Why Do Men Wear Earrings On One Ear? by Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. and Where You From? by Gina Valdes that combine English and Spanish in a fluid lyrical stream. Oscar Hijuelos's excellent introduction gives us a perceptive look at what it means to grow up as a bi-cultural child who is also a first- generation American, and the glossary is particularly helpful in defining slang expressions which differ from country to country. I was impressed by the skillful translators who have captured both the authors' meaning and much of the musicality of the Spanish language, and although in a few cases I might have chosen slightly different terms, it is gratifying to see that they have all been faithful to the original poems. The biographical notes will help interested YAs to locate other works by these eminent writers. This exciting anthology entertains and illuminates, and will be enjoyed by poetry-loving YAs and all those who would like a glimpse into the heart and soul of what is now the fastest growing minority in the United States.--Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 1995.

In The Library

This would be great for a Hispanic Heritage Month display and for read-alouds. I would also recommend it to Spanish teachers of all levels to use in their classrooms.