1 comments about !Concha Ortiz y Pino: Matriarch of a 300-Year-Old New Mexico Legacy.

1. Living in New Mexico for 37 years it would not be possible to have never heard of Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven. Her formal name along brings attention to her and if you ever saw her you would remember her. Her life has been long and interesting but this book does not do her story justice. Perhaps it is because it is an "authorized" biography. I felt Concha was looking over the author's shoulder, or at least saying what was and was not to be included in this book. I really wished there were opinions and comments from others....not just words of praise. There are many contrasts and indeed contradictions in her life and these were not brought out. She was the first, or near first, woman in many situations yet she never identified herself with feminists nor supported the movement in the 70's. She always considered being "feminine" important, but what of the story of her interactions both political and social with leading feminists of her long life? This story is not told. There are hints of tensions within the Hispanic community (LULAC opposed some of her ideas), but not the story of her viz a viz La Raza and Chicanas in New Mexico. If this were not an authorized biography I think the tale would be richer and more informative and she would still come across as a very important figure in New Mexico.
   
   The book is often repetative and needed a good editor to tease out the story.
   
   Catharine Stewart-Roache
   Socorro, NM

1 comments about They Called Me "King Tiger": My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights (Hispanic Civil Rights).

1. Regardless of your views, whether you call this man a crackpot or a hero, there is no question that Reies Lopez Tijerina is a passionate advocate of his cause. He believes firmly in the land grant issue that affecting those people living in northern New Mexico that descended from the original recipients of the land grants in the 1848 treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
   
   There are times when Tijerina is accusatory towards the anglos and the people that he sees as thieves - those that he believes stole the land from the Hispanices. There are other times when Tijerina's statements are perfectly logical, and make a good argument for why the land should be held by the descendants of the original grantees.
   
   This book is a truncation of Tijerina's full autobiography, which was written in Spanish; this translation was completed by Jose Gutierrez, who is another leader of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, but was selective about what was included in this work.
   
   There is no question that this is an important work - it gives the reader tremendous insight into the mind of Tijerina and his cause. It also allows the reader to see why Tijerina is so passionate about the movement and his efforts to ensure that heirs of the original grantees become the rightful owners of the land.

No comments about Ellen Ochoa: Pioneering Astronaut (Fact Finders Biographies: Great Hispanics).

No comments about Rudolfo A. Anaya: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers).

5 comments about Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life.

1. I am a huge John Leguizamo fan. My son introduced me to him because of his love for Leguizamo's short lived TV show House of Buggin. In addition to his films, we have seen him perform Freak on Broadway and John Leguizam Live before it was renamed Sexaholic. With a background like that, I found this autobiography to be very revealing and entertaining. However, as a long time librarian I am very familiar with how people react to book titles when they are unfamiliar with the author or the subject matter. And just as Leguizamo acknowledges bad career choices and mistakes that he has made in his career to date, I am afraid that he will have to eventually accept the fact that his unfortunate title choice has repelled rather than attracted many potential readers. By doing so, he has missed a golden opportunity to use this entertaining vehicle to expand his fan base.



2. I can't complain at all about this book. John Leguizamo is hilarious. I felt like I was sitting front row at one of his stand up comedies. He talks about his struggles and some 'beefs' he has with actors I certainly never knew about. I also admired the way he was completely honest about every role he played and every person he worked with.



3. This book is very much like John Leguizamo's show's - introspective and intersting. While I didn't think it was too hard-hitting against his fellow thespians, I enjoyed an inside perspective into the real lives of Hollywood actors. I also really enjoyed that Leguizamo shared his failures and weaknesses. It was clever, funny, and sad all at once. A true John Leguizamo experience.



4. While I LOVE LOVE LOVE this man, from head to toe, this book left me a little (shoulder hunch). I could forget about it. I found it interesting, funny, and John, but I felt like the title had nothing to do with the book.



5. John Leguizamo at his best, hot stuff and furiously funny. Leg's voice really comes through. It's like spending a day and night on the town dishin' with your fav comedian--nothing held back! Awesome read!

No comments about Life and Adventures of the Celebrated Bandit Joaquin Murrieta: His Exploits in the State of California (Recovering the Us Hispanic Literary Heritage).

No comments about Beisbol!: Pioneros Y Leyendas Del Beisbol Latino.

2 comments about Remnants of Crypto-Jews Among Hispanic Americans.

1. For many years I have followed the career of prize-winning photographer Gloria Golden, and I consider her a great artist. In her new book, Golden has transcended the world of the visual arts and become an important scholar, photojournalist, and chronicler of Jewish history. Despite the many chronicles that fill CRYPTO-JEWS with human interest, both the book's opening essay and its compelling accounts of Golden's interviews with southwestern American Crypto-Jews embrace an impressive range of intellectual disciplines, Jewish history, world history, sociology and anthropology among them.
   
   Though this landmark study will appeal to scholars, Golden's absorbing page-turner reads like fiction. Anyone fascinated by the human condition should purchase this gem of a book. I look forward to reading more of Golden's writing.



2. The interview and photographs of the people in Gloria Golden's book Remnants of Crypto-Jews Among Hispanic Americans show a special dedication to the story these unique people have to tell. Careful attention to detail make their stories very enlightening. The photographs help the reader make the human connections to each story.
   I am of Sephardic ancestry on my father's side with his ancestors leaving Spain during the Inquisition and settling in Turkey. Our family was fortunate and never had to question our Jewish background as the Crypto-Jews do.
   After reading Gloria Golden's book I was able to get an insight into an unusual and often difficult transition these people of Jewish ancestry had to face when they found out about their Jewish heritage.
   Gloria Golden's book not only informs but also shows in a very dramatic way, how these Hispanic Americans are coping with their identity crisis.
   
   Nadine Behar Ellman

No comments about Pedro Menendez De Aviles (Latinos in American History).

No comments about The Allure of Nezahualcoyotl: Pre-Hispanic History, Religion, and NahuaPoetics.