5 comments about The Pot That Juan Built (Pura Belpre Honor Book. Illustrator (Awards)).

1. This is a beautiful book, in illustration and in content. It is the true story of Juan Quezada, a potter, and a celebratory tale of the village of Mata Ortiz, Mexico. Quezada's discovery of ancient pottery methods transformed Mata Ortiz from an impoverished village into a prosperous community of world-renowned artists. The story is cleverly told in the form of "The House That Jack Built". It is sing-song-y in it's rhythm and children will be enraptured by the story Ms. Andrews-Goebel has written and the beautifully vibrant illustrations of Caldecott Award winning illustrator, David Diaz. A more complete story of the famous pottery is told on the facing pages, providing intricate details of a fascinating process. A photo-illustrated afterward follows Quezada through the process of creating a pot, from the digging of the clay to the completed product. This book is a great addition to any child's multicultural library and informs us of one of the great contemporary and nationally recognized Mexican artists. DELIGHTFUL!!!



2. I'm appalled at the lack of love for this book! I am a teacher of a 3rd grade classroom in California where my children are learing about how humans use the world around them to create their life and build their culture. This book is a perfect tie-in to this concept. The illustrations are beautiful and I found the rhymes to be intelligent and descriptive. Two thumbs up from me, and 48 thumbs up from my class!!



3. The absorbing subject matter of this book, presented through catchy rhymes and alliteration and strong, colorful illustrations, has completely captured the imagination of my four-year-old. For three days now, he's been "Juan" almost exclusively, following ants to a vein of "the very best clay, all squishy and white," pretending to make vessels for every conceivable purpose, and peppering me with questions about Mexico, pottery-making, and Juan himself. I've had to draw the line at cutting my hair for paintbrushes and gathering the "dried cow manure" left by the neighborhood dogs. "The Pot That Juan Built" appeals to pre-schoolers' burgeoning interest in rhyme and other aspects of language; making things out of simple materials; and the world around them generally. I give it my highest recommendation!



4. For those in the know, the book suffers for want of careful editing. It is flawed, for example, by illustrator David Diaz' arrogance in placing his own designs on Quezada's pottery. Had this book been about van Gogh, Picasso or any other well-known artist, it is unlikely he would have portrayed their art with no concern for what it looked like in reality. This puts down Juan Quezada. Diaz also carelessly depicts Quezada building a pot by the continuous-coil method of the Indians of the American Southwest rather than by the distinctive method that he innovated and for which he is known. Better editing would have caught these problems with the illustrations as well as a multitude of minor inaccuracies that occur in the text, nearly one to a page. For example, in speaking of using a bean to burnish pottery, the author comments, "Of course dried beans can be found in any kitchen in the village." The bean in question is an inedible wild bean, the chilicote-not the kind that would normally be found in anyone's kitchen. Such editorial problems do not, however, detract from this production as a children's book. They are the sort that only one in the know would see.



5. The Pot that Juan built by: Seth K
   
   If you want to know what pottery evolved from read this book. I think it's funny but one part is disgusting, Juan uses cow manure to make a fire to harden the pots. A potter Juan and his burro are the main characters. Juan lives in the village of Mata Ortiz. Juan loves to make pottery and rides his burro up the mountains to get the clay to make the pots. Juan also makes the paint out of rocks and uses hair to paint the paint on to the pots. I recommend this book to people that like funny and a little nasty stories and who are 8-10 years old. The genre is realistic fiction because it actually could have happened. This book won the Pura Belpre Honor book award. If you want to learn about Mexico and how they make pottery, read this book.

5 comments about Pedro Paramo (COLECCION LETRAS HISPANICAS) (Letras Hispanicas/ Hispanic Writings).

1. The book is translated into English from its original Spanish version. It's a complex book with references to Greek mythology and takes a bit of careful observation to fully understand. I'd recommend it to people who have rich, previous knowledge of Greek mythology.



2. I had the pleasure of reading this book the first time in Spanish. That has advantages, obviously. Much of the poetry shines even brighter. However, an English version will also shock and grasp you in a good way. A story that unwinds with twists and turns, from present to past, and in the end develops into a poetic vision of a town haunted by both beauty and brutality at the same time.
   
   All of the modern Latin American magic-realist writers are in debt to Juan Rulfo.
   
   Highly recommended; a must read.



3. Pedro Paramo
   
   I have read this book three times in Spanish so I know it pretty well. This English translation is good but it doesn't flow as well as the original in Spanish. Perhaps it is that Rulfo's style is not easy to translate.



4. I finished the book, and had little feeling on it. So I read
   a literature review, and found out that I did see the writing
   techniques that were enthusiastically appraised. Yes, the
   book might be full of writing techniques, but I am not
   touched.



5. I read the original version of it in Spanish, from what I have found so far from research, most translations of this book are pretty bad. There are lots of allegories and historical backgrounds in there, one cannot disregard all the content just because it seems confusing.
   And to get any award for something, a book has to go through lots of consideration. If the book was really such a horrible book do you think the judges of the award would risk their reputation supporting a "bad" book?
   I guess if you are fluent in Spanish I strongly suggest reading it in Spanish, or if you are a Latin American History major or Mexican history. This is a breath of fresh air, the book breaks all conventional narratives. I personally love "Continuidad de los parques" of Julio Cortazar. So if you like him you will definitely find this book a good read.

3 comments about Closest Companion: The Unknown Story of the Intimate Relationship Between Franklin Roosevelt and Margaret Suckley.

1. Having visited Ms. Suckley's home and the nearby Roosevelt home and library, I felt as though I were along for the ride as I read Daisy's accounts of their picnics and "tea dates" at various sites along the Hudson. In this day of "tell-all" books and seemingly unlimited voyeuristic snooping into Presidential private lives, this book was a pleasant departure from the norm. It also offered new insights into the life of a much-studied President, but one about whom there are still many unknowns. Margaret Suckley, even while preserving much of the account of her longstanding (but unknown to most contemporaries) relationship with FDR, took care to take the more private elements of their friendship to the grave.



2. This is the story of Franklin Roosevelt's friendship with a distant cousin Daisy Suckley, based on journals long kept from the public by Daisy herself. It is fascinating for that story, but more so for the information it gives of a time in our history, when the President could leave the country and only those closest to him would know it. As Daisy relates the daily comings and goings of her life, she give us an intimate look at how Franklin Roosevelt managed to travel to secret meetings with other world leaders. She also lets us see Rosevelt's failing health and how his determination to win the war kept him going.

   Geoffrey C. Ward's editing keeps the story moving. It may not be scholarly history, but it is a fascinating read for any history buff looking to understand the story behind the history.




3. A fascinating book. If you like history, particularly the Roosevelt era, it is the day-to-day letters and diaries between Franklin Roosevelt and his fourth cousin Margaret Suckley who was present at most of the major events during the Roosevelt presidency including his death. She traveled extensively with him throughout the United States. She lived down the road from him in Hyde Park and edited his papers at the White House with him during his presidency. This book an unknown treasure.

5 comments about American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood.

1. I looked forward every night to reading Arana's way with words. Not only was the subject matter a great story -- duality on many levels, and she explored all the layers -- but she told her story with excellent prose.
   
   Having studied Latin America for years I've always been envious of my follow classmates & friends who have multiple identities...this book opened my eyes to the deeper challenges of multicultural identity, beyond the obvious racism/segregation to the more internal challenges; Arana's description of how she developed not just her gringa identity, or her Peruvian identity but her "faking it" identity fascinated me.
   
   I hope to see more of her work.



2. My wife grew up in Ecuador and moved to the United States 8 years ago, at age 31. I am always interested in better understanding her cross-cultural transition and that's why I picked up "American Chica". But actually this book is more of a family memoir, describing the difficult marriage of Arana's parents. The majority of the book is about her early childhood years growing up in Peru with her father's aristocratic family. The last couple of chapters do recount her family's move to New Jersey. But, while her father was miserable living the "gringo" lifestyle, Marie and her siblings appeared to make the transition quite easily - as children often do - despite facing racism as the only latino kids in their school system.
   
   I prefer my non-fiction to be straightforward, with clear and concise writing. But Arana tends toward artsy pretentiousness, with descriptions and details that I found to be flowery and overly wordy. Obviously, many folks like her style of writing, as demonstrated by the numerous positive reviews. But, for me, it just didn't work.



3. As a native Spanish speaker and ESL/bilingual education
   teacher I was surprised to find so many
   Spanish mistakes in "American Chica." Given Ms.
   Arana's claims of bilingualism, I don't understand how
   this could have happened. A Spanish speaker, for
   example, knows that the word for an indigenous person,
   regardless of gender, is always indígena. Also, no
   fluent Spanish speaker would omit 'te' from "Te tengo
   a ti..." Nor write "proprio," "creatura," or
   "estranjera." And the problems with written accents
   throughout the book are serious! This is not
   nit-picking. As students and speakers of Spanish
   know, an accent's presence or absence can completely
   change the meaning of a word.
   
   While these mistakes were probably corrected in the
   paperback edition, I find it somewhat disrespectful
   that Ms. Arana took such a cavalier attitude with
   Spanish, particularly in a memoir about biculturalism.
   This sloppiness, as well as the author's rigid,
   outdated observations about Latin America vs. North
   America and all that made-for-gringos exoticism was
   very irritating to this particular American chica.



4. This is a heartfelt book; I can't think of another book that spells out the bicultural life so clearly. Arana has cut a new path here. This is not so much about being Hispanic American as being a new and different kind of American: split, with differing loyalties, and with all kinds of doubts along the way.
   I've just read the galleys of her new book, "Cellophane," which make me think that she's building something something new in her opus. This is a strong American writer with a great deal to say about what it means to be a person of the hemisphere. There is much inclusiveness here. I am struck by the largeness of her world.



5. What a generous offering from a talented writer with a keen eye for the nuances of family life! Yes, she writes her own story, but she also writes her mother's and father's stories. And her siblings, though more sparingly drawn, also command her careful observation.
   
   She and her immediate family are described as they came up against the cultural norms, first in Peru in the 1950s, where the family spent 12 years, and then in the United States in the 1960s. Arana is a descendant of Peru's upper class, and while the story is one of growing up with economic 'privilege', we also see how that same class privilege imposes social restraints.
   
   One of my favorite passages describes Arana's observation that it is mothers who lovingly mold their sons into "machos", the archetype of the Latin male.

5 comments about Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero.

1. This book talked enough about baseball stats and plays to keep me, an avid baseball history and stat buff, interested. But the book was also great about digging deeper into who Clemente was after he took off the uniform. I learned a lot about Puerto Rican baseball leagues, other good players from the Pirates teams of the 60's, and Clemente's devotion to helping people. Great book!



2. This is the first time I've ever rated a book before even finishing it. I've always been a Clemente fan even though he died before I was born. Maraniss does a great job of portraying the man and the ballplayer, and I'm learning a lot about him that I didn't know before.



3. David Maraniss continues to amaze me with his gift of writing biographies to break down legends into real men with conflicts, faults and warts but never leaves out what it is essential to the man's character that makes them legends. He did it with Lombardi and now, Clemente. Some called Clemente, a prophet, and while Maraniss makes it clear that while Clemente was not deity he was a man that touched everyone who knew him with his grace, passion and pride. A legend, a hero and a man like no other.



4. David Maraniss' work "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero" is a book worthy of its subject. He explains that he means "Hero" in the best and most noble of definitions, and not at all the "hero" that is tossed around so casually about the next twenty-year old wide receiver with a 4.3 second forty.
   
   As a lifelong baseball fan and amateur historian I note two "golden ages" of baseball. One began when George Herman Ruth was traded to the Yankees and gave up pitching, and the next was ushered in when Jack Roosevelt Robinson came into major league baseball like a comet. Ruth and Robinson are baseball icons, and Robinson definitely meets even the most restrictive definition of "Hero", but Maraniss makes a case that Clemente may have been as heroic as any.
   
   I have been on a tear the last few years reading baseball biographies: Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, Aaron, Williams, Berra, Walter Johnson, Koufax and I'm glad I had the other books to compare. Most biographies spend considerable detail on the baseball career of their subject. "Clemente" has an almost superficial description of "Momen's" career, except for his MVP year of 1966 and the Pirates World Series Championships of 1960 and 1971. There is due credit given to Clemente's spectacular right field play - he was arguably the greatest right-fielder in history. His throwing arm was so legendary that the book opens with a description of a game in modern-day San Juan. When a young player releases a laser-beam throw from the right-field corner the old men in the stands, previously barely paying attention to the game, immediately begin comparing the throw to those made by Clemente over three decades ago. Ted Williams said of Willie Mays that the All-Star game was made for him. The same could be said of Clemente and Gold Gloves. Although Clemente was killed tragically at age 38, he was one of the first dozen players to collect 3,000 hits. His .317 lifetime batting average was only exceeded by his All-Star average of .324 and his World Series average of .362. Clemente defined "clutch".
   
   Maraniss makes the point that great as Roberto was as a player, it was as a man and role model and leader, especially for latino players, that "The Great Clemente" excelled. Clemente's disdain for baseball writers (who can blame him when they routinely did things such as spell his responses phonetically to emphasize his hispanic-ness) was a contrast to the great love and time and devotion he lavished on the smallest fellow human who crossed his path.
   
   The final fifth of the book would make a superb movie - Maraniss meticulously chronicles the "perfect storm" that convened to rob the world and his family of Roberto Clemente: the earthquake in Nicaragua, a country with a particular bond to Clemente (although he remains the consummate baseball hero to all latin fans). The world-wide relief effort with a particularly passionate interest in San Juan, led by Clemente. The corruption of the Somoza family ruling Nicarague, which was corrupt all the time, but made all the worst in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster as Somoza officers diverted planeloads of relief into private Somoza warehouses. The FAA nightmare that was the pitiful little man who tried to run an air freight business while skirting regulations left and right. The last-minute pilot replacement who probably was unsafe to walk, much less fly an unbalanced, overloaded plane of relief goods to Nicaragua.
   
   Clemente was already a baseball hero at the time of his death. The circumstances of his death elevated him to a pantheon of Heroes with few equals in world history.
   
   Well done, Mr. Maraniss. You have chosen a noble, Heroic subject, and you have done justice to the Man and brought us, Momen's fans, a glimpse into his passion and grace.



5. i have been a roberto clemente fan since before his heroic efforts in the 1971 world series. the book clearly highlighted his humanitarian efforts, and his love and devotion to his family and his homeland. i guess i was looking for more "pure baseball" info on this. such as what he did to improve in the years from his youth to hall of fame player. any particular advice, exercises, strategy , etc. there just wasn't any of that in here. this is my personal disappointment with the book.
   
   the book dwelt on, and repeatedly emphasized the racism of the time, and the double racism against clemente, being black and hispanic. while i admired his struggle, and the struggle of minorities , and the brave help they received from open-minded/thoughtful white people ( who also risked retribution from the racist/closed-minded establishment), i personally was looking for more baseball.

2 comments about Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1. A well-written, almost poetically spare introduction to the life of Roberto Clemente. Starts with his life of poverty in Puerto Rico to his climb to the top of the major leagues. Ends with Mr. Clemente's untimely death in an airplane crash when he was transporting relief supplies to earthquake victims. Illustrations capture the feel of the times and experiences as well as the excitement of the sports action. This excellent picture book will introduce another generation to a real hero. Karen Woodworth Roman, Librarians.info



2. I enjoyed it cause I found out more about Roberto Clemente.

5 comments about Brown: The Last Discovery of America.

1. This guy is full of it and full of himself. Wants to sound sooooooooooooooooo educated. Comes off sounding like a pretentious overcompensating guy with a real inferiority complex. Obviously has not come to a point of self-acceptance. It is a pity. I got the book in hopes of finding some help with my own Mexican-American son's struggles to fit in to either the Mexican or the "white" sides of his heritage. This book is NOT one I will leave around for him to read. I wonder how he got published.



2. Rodriguez has written an ambitious book: who else would be willing to take on the idea of "brown" and all it involves, from the many perspectives from which this writer sees? I teach a university course on Biography and Memoir and his is one of my favorite books to include. I love his attention to the role of the public library, schools, how religion divides and unites us. Increasingly we all live in a "brown" world and Rodriguez shows us how books and culture help us explore that world in its origins and awesome potential for good and for ill. His riffs are right-on target: Malcolm X as latter-day Puritan, Frederick Douglass on the same shelf with Benjamin Franklin in terms of writing memoirs that tell us how to live honestly in This America of Ours. The poetry of Rodriguez's language is not at all what we might come to expect from an analytical writer. His work is closer to poetry that looks back to the multiple historical origins of these Americas, asks about the originary moments of various races, cultures, religions coming together, and what has happened since. By writing evocatively, rather than cut-and-dry rants or analyses, Rodriguez does much to explore the structures that pervade and are promised in present-day America. Rodriguez is worth, will pay back in insights every bit of time you put into reading him. Maybe his identity isn't yours, maybe you will want to dismiss him, but if you read through, stay with this book, I promise - he will get under your skin.



3. That inconvenient truth or understanding that America is more than what some would like to still believe. We are not black or white (or Hispanic - a nice made up word). We are brown. Black and white both imply voids that either absorb everything (like black) or contrast completely (like white). The truth is in America we are all mixed up. I know that's an ugly truth for many. The reason that it becomes a hang-up here and not so much as in Catholic countries (like Mexico) is that Protestant/Puritan values still live on strong. Be who you want, but don't try to blend lines or anything. Keep to your true pure self! Listen only to "your" type of music. Only eat "your" type of food (none of us is guilty of this one as obese as the country is). Only wear "your" type of clothes. Yes, you can have freedom in America, as long as you fit into your little niche. "You're African-American! You're supposed to listen to Hip-Hop. What are you doing liking Classical music?" Beethoven was the stuff! But anyway the only "race" that in America is tolerated to "cross the lines" in terms of cultural identity is whites (Is it because white pigment blends with other colors without the colors losing their essence?). And this whole "race" thing! Skin has only one color! "Shock"....I'm not speaking blasphemy. It's true. The color is called MELINAN. Actually it's a pigment. The difference in people is the amount you have. Young people today don't have the hang-ups about "race" like the older generations have. It takes a while to get rid of deeply entrenched ideas. This book had my mind spinning. Very insightful and complex. It's dense like others mentioned, but hey life is dense. Americans would like to think of life as uncomplicated with our little categories to put things. But as life (and history) shows us time and time again nothing is really black and white except divinity. And even that isn't as straightforward as some believe. Consider the fact that Jesus Christ, Gautama Buddha, the Prophet Moses, the Prophet Muhammad, Adam and Eve were brown. Think about it!
   
   The human world (Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and etc.) is brown.
   
   Post-Note: According to the Rodriguez, Brown also means complexity not just the color itself.



4. I made the mistake of buying this book because the introduction intrigued me. His word play and analogies seemed interesting, but it quickly grew annoying.
   
   He rarely makes any sense, and it seems like he's making one inside joke after another with himself or with people his age. I don't 'get' his obscure cultural references from the 60s. I'm not kidding, read through a few pages and you'll see that it sounds like he was high off his a$$ when he wrote it. His writing style is literary masturbation, like he's getting himself off by coming across as an intellectual making a good point, instead of making a good point with a solid argument. The use of 'fluff' words and unecessary prose will be the first thing you'll notice ruining this book.
   
   I'm not one to put down a book and stop reading it, but this is the first one in years. As a Chicano, I cannot identify with this man. Aside from the front he's putting on by trying to come off as an 'educated man', he makes several references that he should be on the same shelf as great 'white authors'. That he does not want to be "The Hispanic" on the shelf. What's wrong with that? Is he not proud of what he is? I don't hear black authors complaining like this, because they have self acceptance. What does it matter if he's the Hispanic on the shelf? Is it a negative connotation to the word that he has on the back of his mind that bothers him? Is he afraid he'll be judged by whites by label alone? It's almost like he's trying to prove that he 'can do it too' and it's the first proof in a long list of evidence that Richard Rodriguez desperately wants to fit in within white circles and is begging to be accepted. Someone on here commented that it seems like he has an inferiority complex, and I would have to say that hit the nail on the head. The vibe I get from this guy is that his "brownness" is the only thing holding him back from receiving full acceptance, and he's out to prove that he shouldn't be judged by that. It's almost like a self serving agenda he has, instead of showing the virtues and accomplishments of "brown people".
   
   I will not finish reading this book, and I have now crossed his other books off of my "to read" list.



5. Richard Rodriguez is a very provocative thinker from a well thought out perspective that should be shared and understood. It works well in contrast to older writings by Robert Ardrey. We are a visual species who categorizes, and will always categorize the people, places, things, and ideas we encounter based upon their literal and figurative appearance. Mr. Rodriguez brings to question some of those things we define, and some of those things we mis-define. After over 100 years of scientific research on exactly what makes a breed of man and a society there is no longer any excuse for questionaires which attempt to undermine inequality by mixing culture and race. As he points out, Hispanic is not a race - but a culure, and should not appear in a list to be checked next to white, black, or American Indian - which again are inaccurate. The entire system of boxing into said categories fails both in accuracy and only reinforces the divisions of modern prejudices.

5 comments about Burro Genio.

1. Victor's storytelling magic lies in his very natural ability to make you feel as if you are 'right there' as an observor or silent participant in the experiences and adventures he is describing. His stories are treasures because they take his Latino readers back to their own lives in this country AND they offer non-Latino readers a golden opportunity to experience life as seen through the eyes of an immigrant. This particular book, BURRO GENIUS, is just such a story. The key to understanding and feeling what Victor writes about is to try and 'check your cultural baggage at the door' and experience the stories with a clean canvas.



2. Excellency is the only word that describes this amazing tale! It is not Victor's fantasy but Victor's life in light of his dreams and struggles to be who he is. The Villaseñor's story is still the story of many inmmigrants, from many countries and many races. It is a redemptive experience that helps us to to keep on with life, no matter how hard it might be or turn. In a world where everything is "made" and taken for granted, Victor's creativity and desire to suceed over its limitations, emerges as a clear example for those who want to give up. It is simply remarkable! It is possible!



3. I've read "Rain of Gold"(which I also recommend) and found "Burro Genius" to be just as wonderful. I recommend this book to everyone. Especially anyone of Mexican/American descent. If you've never read a book of Victor's, now's the time!



4. I was under the impression that this book would focus on the author's triumphs over adversity (i.e. dyslexia, racism, etc.). Although the book did touch on the aforementioned themes to a certain degree, I felt that its central focus was steeped in some of the most prosaic, banal details of Villasenor's childhood. The author's writing has a way of making the most tragic experiences of Villasenor's life seem incidental. The majority of children have stories about growing up but I am not sure that they are all noteworthy enough to be chronicled in a memoir. Likewise, I think that Villasenora could have broadened his work's appeal if he would have omitted several lackluster childhood experiences. I started the book with an open mind and with each page I hoped that it would get better. Regrettably, the book did not meet my expectations.



5. I bought this book a year ago, I enjoyed it tremendously, great story,many parts of the book reminded me of the time I spent in the Catholic school system of my youth. I bought three copies to give out at Christmas time. All who received a copy, also enjoyed it.
   This is a great read .People have told me that I resembled the kid on the running board of the car on the book cover.

5 comments about Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo.

1. I heard about Oscar'Zeta' Acosta basically from reading Hunter S. Thompson's book but became quickly fascinated by Dr. Gonzo and wanted to know more about him. I was pleased to find out he had also written some books and was even more pleased to find out he was(is?) a very good writer. Truly an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt their identity as an american is something that they have had to come to grips with. Apart from that serious subtext, it also a very entertaining and amusing story that rolls along, introducing some interesting and memorable characters and situations. A passionate human being wrote this book and it is filled with all the honesty and humanity of someone bearing his soul to achieve a greater sense of genuine self which for Oscar Acosta means being "A Brown Buffalo"



2. This book is one of the most memorable I have read in many years. Oscar lived an incredible life, and his ability to render it in this book is consistently amazing. I've read this book about three times, and I reflect on the trajectory of Oscar's life often.



3. Strong writing in places, but Acosta's style is sometimes hard to follow. Overall, I found the book to be meandering, formless, and kind of dull. The "Chicano in search of his identity" stuff is pure marketing hype. "A Chicano in search of beer, chicks and drugs" would be more like it--but there isn't much of that here, either, in case you're looking for a story of epic debauchery by Hunter Thompson's Samoan attorney. Acosta comes off as a fairly conservative character--he was a Christian missionary in Panama at one time--and basically apolitical at this point in his life. He wanders around the country, goes to bars, tries peyote, smokes some weed, drinks a lot of beer, but it's all pretty low key and, personally, I never thought this kind of thing was very interesting to begin with. Still, Acosta is a fairly sympathetic character and he's a better writer than most. This isn't a bad book, but it isn't that great, either--read Hunter Thompson instead



4. It is easy to dismiss this book. The hallucinations and drug-induced rants become a little exaggerated and tedious. Although, his friend and partner in crime, Hunter S. Thompson, would detail similar bizarre experiences in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, their intent seemed different. Whereas HST played with fantasy in social satire as a form of comic relief, OZA seems to want you to believe it to be fact...or at least for you to trust that he believed it.
   With that said, the story is one of the most self-deprecating, odd, and entertaining autobiographies I have ever read. It can easily stand alone as study of a Mexican-American struggle for the American Dream, as well as companion book to Hunter S. Thompson enthusiasts. Regardless of your intent on picking this book up, OZA will amuse, disgust, and surprise you...making this a worthwhile read.

   On a sidenote: This book truly makes you wonder, when HST and OZA joined up, who influenced who more.




5. By reading this book before watching the movie, you will see what Dr. Gonzo's life was like right before he decides to become a lawyer. If you have ever felt alienated by American ideals, regardless of your race, you will relate to this book. Acosta's writing is good and he does a great job of describing what the character is feeling when he encounters life, drugs, and ulcers.

5 comments about The Revolt of the Cockroach People.

1. After reading this book, and actually living through those turbulent times of the 60's and 70' s , it was refreshing to read and feel the burning frustration and love that this man was experiencing and the way he expressed his anger against the machine. This type of awareness has been lost , due to us the forefathers of the Chicano Movement, to teach our own and other's children of how important those actions were, so that we may emphasize education, political power and family values. We have implemented a course in Chicano Studies in schools, we now have political representation in our governments, and many more success stories that are due to the work of such people as Cesar Chavez, Ruben Salazar and Corky Gonzales. Oscar Zeta was a man amongst his own that was afraid of nothing and no one.My thanks to him for fighting the powers that be and for creating an example for all of us, regardless of race. You have to stand up for what you believe and Acosta is atrue testament to that.



2. I read this book after finding out that Oscar Zeta Acosta was the fat Samoan lawyer from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Acosta's style is similar, with a lot of drugs and sex with minors. The differences are that Acosta isn't tripping the whole time and he has time to incite political rallies. I love when they protest the Catholic church, or when he pleasures himself with some nubile young high schoolers under a blanket during a sit-in.... For those interested in the turbulent times that was the 60s, this is a must-read.



3. This is the most realistic book I have ever seen about Mexican American hippies in Aztlan, the Chicanos of the 1960's neo-freedom movements. It will surely become a collector's item worth saving in this era of gung-ho Americanism which does not know the kind of objectivity Acosta displays with regard to how we think and why we believe as we do. Hunter S. Thompson described the author better than I can in his introduction to the book, highlighting his uniqueness while lamenting his untimely passing. I will write more after I give the book a more thorough second reading.



4. Re-Saturday Review of Literature
   Oscar Acosta disappeared in Mexico in 1974, not 1971 (the year of his trip to Las Vegas with Dr. Thompson).



5. Re-Saturday Review of Literature
   Oscar Acosta disappeared in Mexico in 1974, not 1971 (the year of his trip to Las Vegas with Dr. Thompson).