What's New in the Eurozone - Economics and More

There has been a lot in the news lately about hot-button issues in the European Union, especially the Eurozone (i.e. the collective group of countries which use the Euro as their common currency). We can't pretend to be experts on the issues affecting our friends across the pond, but the library catalog does offer some reading material that might help all of us get more clued in!  Here are some of the most recent selections:

What Does Europe Want?: The Union and Its Discontents by Slavoj Zizek, Srecko Horvat

Tragedy of the European Union: Disintegration or Revival? by George Soros with Gregor Schmitz

The Passage to Europe: How a Continent Became a Union by Luuk Van Middelaar

Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Blyth

Austerity: The Great Failure by Florian Schui

Wages of Rebellion by Chris Hedges    

Putinism: Russia and Its Future With the West by Walter Laqueur

Buying Time: The Delayed Crisis of Democratic Capitalism by Wolfgang Streeck 

The French Intifada: The Long War Between France and Its Arabs by Andrew Hussey

The Shifts and The Shocks: What We've Learned -- And Have Still to Learn -- From the Financial Crisis by Martin Wolf 

  

African Literature

Writing has always been a serious business for me. I felt it was a moral obligation. A major concern of the time was the absence of the African voice. Being part of that dialogue meant not only sitting at the table but effectively telling the African story from an African perspective - in full earshot of the world.
~Chinua Achebe

You've probably heard of the late Chinua Achebe and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Maybe you've read Nadine Gordimer or J.M. Coetzee, Naguib Mahfouz or Nuruddin Farah. But how much do you really know about contemporary African literature?  Well, we're no experts, but we've compiled a list of notable reads, from short stories to thrillers and even one graphic novel, written by authors from a variety of African countries.


Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

Notes From the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood by Nega Mezlekia

The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

No Sweetness Here and Other Stories by Ama Ata Aidoo
 
Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

Butterfly Burning by Yvonne Vera

Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa [eBook]

Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou  [eBook]

Aya by Marguerite Abouet   

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi

Oil On Water by Helon Habila

Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

A Bit of Difference by Sefi Atta

Migritude by Shailja Patel 

Black Diamond by Zakes Mda 
  Foreign Gods, Inc. by Okey Ndibe

Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar

Welcome to Our Hillbrow: A Novel of Postapartheid South Africa by Phaswane Mpe  [eBook]

An African Quilt: 24 Modern African Stories edited by Barbara H. Solomon  [eBook]

Under African Skies: Modern African Stories edited by Charles R. Larson

    
Links

The best books on Ethiopia: start your reading here [Guardian]

The 10 best contemporary African books [Guardian]

Ten African Novels You Should Know [BET]

Africa's 100 best books of the 20th Century [African Studies Centre Leiden]

The 15 Best Fiction Novels by Black Authors in 2014 [The Root]

Popular African Literature [Goodreads]

Jewish American Heritage Month

President Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) in 2006. In 2013, President Obama echoed the first proclamation, declaring that

Jewish immigrants from all over the world wove new threads into our cultural fabric with rich traditions and indomitable faith, and their descendants pioneered incredible advances in science and the arts. Teachings from the Torah lit the way toward a more perfect Union, from women's rights to workers' rights to the end of segregation... More than 350 years have passed since Jewish refugees first made landfall on American shores. We take this month to celebrate the progress that followed, and the bright future that lies ahead.

You can read more about New Mexico's Jewish heritage at the City of Albuquerque site,  and New Mexico is featured in 50 States/50 Stories, a collection of  "colorful, enlightening, and surprising stories about the accomplishments and contributions of American Jewish men and women who have helped to weave the fabric of American history, culture, and society."

Here are a few items on Jewish American heritage to consider:


To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico by Stanley M. Hordes

A History of the Jews in New Mexico by Henry J. Tobias

It's a Scream How Levine Does the Rhumba: The Latin-Jewish Musical Story - 1940s-1980s [CD]

Little Failure: A Memoir by Gary Shteyngart 

The Jewish Americans: Three Centuries of Jewish Voices in America by Beth S. Wenger 

MetaMaus by Art Spiegelman

Speaking of Jews: Rabbis, Intellectuals, and the Creation of an American Public Identity by Lila Corwin Berman [eBook]

Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail: A History in the American West by Jeanne E. Abrams [eBook]
 

Links

What To Read During Jewish American Heritage Month [Book Riot]

Essential Readings in American Jewish History [American Jewish Historical Society]

Jewish American Heritage Month 
Portal of the JAHM Coalition, convened by convened by United Jewish Communities (now The Jewish Federations of North America), The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives (AJA) and the American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS).

Jewish American Heritage Month [.gov]
 This Web portal is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Abq Jew
Your guide to Jewish Life in Albuquerque and beyond.

Borderlands in Fiction and Non-Fiction

In contemporary crime fiction, border noir typically finds its home along the demilitarized zone separating the U.S. and Mexico, the jumping-off point for illegal immigrants desperate to move north, as well as the conduit for the flow of drugs and guns across the border (guns moving south, drugs moving north). Novels set on our southern border—typically in El Paso and Juárez, or San Diego and Tijuana—have flourished in the last several decades, reflecting both our ongoing battles over immigration policy and our so-often catastrophic war on drugs. The novels listed below reflect those sociopolitical issues, to be sure, but their emotional core goes deeper than that, to border culture itself, wherever those borders may be, and to the timeless chaos of lives in transition or, worse, suspended in the perpetually deferred dream of transition.
~Bill Ott* 

Not too long ago, we took an abcreads field trip to the movies to watch Gael García Bernal in Who is Dayani Cristal?, a moving documentary which combines the forensic investigation of the body of an anonymous migrant found in Arizona with García Bernal's journey through Central America, retracing the man's steps along the migrant trail.  This, and the article in Booklist linked below, reminded us of our own proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border and inspired us to provide this list of items from the catalog.

Fiction

Angel Baby by Richard Lange

The Border Lords by T. Jefferson Parker

Choke Point by James C. Mitchell

Death of an Evangelista by Allana Martin

Desert Blood: the Juárez Murders by Alicia Gaspar de Alba

Dove Season: A Jimmy Veeder Fiasco by Johnny Shaw

La Mordida by Jim Sanderson

The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow

Redback by Kirk Russell

Rules of Wolfe: A Border Noir by James Carlos Blake

Taken by Robert Crais

Tijuana Straits by Kem Nunn

Triple Crossing by Sebastian Rotella

Wrecked by Tricia Fields

Border Songs by Jim Lynch   

The Border is Burning by Ito Romo

Sunland by Don Waters

Golondrina, Why Did You Leave Me? by Bárbara Renaud González


Non-Fiction

The Dangerous Divide: Peril and Promise on the US-Mexico Border by Peter Eichstaedt

The Distance Between Us: A Memoir by Reyna Grande

Left Behind: Life and Death Along the U.S. Border by Jonathan Hollingsworth

The American Wall: From the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico by Maurice Sherif

Lost Souls = Animas perdidas  [DVD]
         

Links

Hard-Boiled Gazetteer to Border Noir [Booklist]*

Featured Author: G. Willow Wilson

It is thus unsurprising that secret identities form the axis of Wilson’s fast-paced, imaginative first novel, “Alif the Unseen” — a book that defies easy categorization. Is it literary fiction? A fantasy novel? A dystopian techno-thriller? An exemplar of Islamic mysticism, with ties to the work of the Sufi poets? Wilson seems to delight in establishing, then confounding, any expectations readers may have.
~Pauls Toutonghi, "App for the Ancients"

One of our favorite new authors here at abcreads is G. Willow Wilson.  Her website sums her up as "[p]rofessional genre-bender, casual gamer, student of religion, author of critically acclaimed [Eisner Award-nominated] books and comics", but what that doesn't tell you is that Wilson, a child of atheist parents, "spent her early and mid twenties living in Egypt and working as a journalist" and during this time converted to Islam.  All her books are infused with Eastern mysticism in addition to fantasy elements, and her memoir, The Butterfly Mosque, deals directly with her conversion.

Our intrepid abcreads readers came to G. Willow Wilson via her moving memoir, but have been delighted to continue with her imaginative, exciting graphic novels and playful, genre-bending fiction. We hope you will consider checking out this author - definitely one to watch!

Graphic Novels

Cairo

In bustling modern-day Cairo, the lives of a drug runner, a down-on-his-luck journalist, an American expatriate, a young activist, an Israeli soldier, and a genie are interwoven as they navigate the city's streets and spiritual underworld to find a stolen hooka sought by a wrathful gangster-magician. [from the library catalog]

Air 1: Letters from Lost Countries; Air 2: Flying Machine; Air 3: Pureland; and Air 4: A History of the Future

Blythe is a flight attendant with a philosophy degree-- and a fear of heights. And as odd as her career choice might be, it's nowhere near as strange as her life's about to get. She'll fall in love with a mysterious traveler who's either an ordinary frequent flier-- or a terrorist. In search of him, she'll travel to a country that doesn't exist on any maps, become targeted by a violent anti-terrorist group, and inevitably find herself at the center of a race to find an artifact that may change the science of flight forever. Suddenly Blythe's life is headed for the most exotic destination of all: the unknown. [from the library catalog]

Memoir

The Butterfly Mosque

Documents the author's conversion from all-American atheist to Islam, a journey marked by her decision to relocate to Cairo, romance with a passionate young Egyptian, and her efforts to balance the virtues of both cultures. [from the library catalog]

Fiction

Alif the Unseen

In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients, dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups, from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by Alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and a convenient handle to hide behind. The aristocratic woman Alif loves has jilted him for a prince chosen by her parents, and his computer has just been breached by the State's electronic security force, putting his clients and his own neck on the line. Then it turns out his lover's new fianceé is the head of State security, and his henchmen come after Alif, driving him underground. When Alif discovers The Thousand and One Days, the secret book of the jinn, which both he and the Hand suspect may unleash a new level of information technology, the stakes are raised and Alif must struggle for life or death, aided by forces seen and unseen. [from the library catalog]

New & Noteworthy Asian Fiction

"Author Amy Tan created her own subgenre of popular literature back in the late 1980s (sweeping, semi-autobiographical stories of family, loyalty and love set in various Asian times and cultures), beginning with The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. More recently, Lisa See has carried the torch with Snowflower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love," BookPage declared back in 2009.  Others authors such as Gail Tsukiyama, Samuel Park, & Eugenia Kim have also followed in this tradition. Reading a novel by an Asian-American author is often an enjoyable way to immerse yourself in Asian cultures, but to get the full flavor of Asian culture, we recommend excursions into fiction by Asian authors, albeit in translation.  Inspired by this year's Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Mo Yan, here are some of the latest titles in the catalog from Asian authors!


China

The Bathing Women by Tie Ning

Dream of Ding Village by Yan Lianke



Japan

The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto



Malaysia

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng



South Korea

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin



India

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga

The Artist of Disappearance: Three Novellas by Anita Desai

Music of Africa

The International Collection is not just books, it's also music!  ABC Libraries' music selectors have added a plethora of international titles to the catalog recently, including increasing the selection of music from Africa.  I can't claim any expertise on the wide & varied array of music coming out of Africa, but here are some artists & genres represented in the catalog:

CDs:

King Sunny Adé and his African Beats: they play "spacey, jamming sort of Juju, characterized by tight vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work, backed by traditional talking drums, percussion instruments, and even adding the unusual pedal steel guitar and accordian", according to the African Music Encyclopedia,

Musiques métisses: Le mandingue, empire de la musique - Mandingo music of Mali and Guinea

In the Heart of the Moon, Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté (Mali)

Soro, Salif Keita (Mali)

Angélique Kidjo: deemed "Africa's premier diva" by Time Magazine

Hugh Masekela: performed with Paul Simon on Graceland

Jive & Soul: The Best of Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens: South African mbaqanga supergroup in the 1960s-1990s

Danger, Lijadu Sisters:

The Lijadu Sisters, Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu, are identical twin sisters from Nigeria who were an important music duet from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. They achieved success in Nigeria and had modest influence in the United States and Europe

Amadou & Mariam: musical duo from Mali

Desert Crossroads, Etran Finatawa: nomad's blues from Niger

Cesaria Evora: queen of the morna, a soulful genre sung in Creole-Portuguese

Rendez-vóus Barbès, Orchestre national de Barbès: a French group which plays a fusion of several genres from the Maghreb, such as the chaâbi, the raï, & the music of Gnawa.

Au Racines de la Mémoire, Kaluwo:  "Blues from the Sahel, African rumba, Congolese soukous… Aux Racines de la Memoire from Kaluwo takes us , taking us from the West Africa of Christophe Bégaud to the Central Africa of Marlène N’Garo, presents music that lively and full of warmth, on the border between traditional and modern," according to their press release.

Stars of Afropop: includes tracks by Zap Mama, Manu Dibango, Esther Wahome, Franco, Ricardo Lemvo and his group Makina Loca, and Hanitra.

Aksil, Élage Diouf - the artist was born in Senegal, but now lives in Canada.  His music reflects both his African heritage & his Canadian roots.
Afrobeat:

Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s.  Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name.  His son Femi Kuti continues to perform in this genre.

Chimurenga:

Chimurenga music is a Zimbabwean popular music genre coined and popularised by Thomas Mapfumo. Chimurenga is a Shona language word for struggle.

Mbalax:

Mbalax (or Mbalakh) is the national popular dance music of Senegal and The Gambia. Mbalax is a fusion of popular Western music and dance such as jazz, soul, Latin, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal.  Youssou N'Dour helped to develop this style.

Book:

African Music: A People's Art by Francis Bebey

For children:

Gift of the Tortoise: A Musical Journey through Southern Africa, Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Discovering the Music of Africa

The Music of Africa: An Introduction by Fred Warren with Lee Warren

DVDs:

Umm Kulthum: A Voice like Egypt

Useful links:

ABC Libraries New Music LibGuide: International Collection

The African Music Encyclopedia

African Music Radio

African Music on the Internet

Around the World in Food Writing

Here at abcreads we are voracious readers.  & sometimes our readings literally spice up our lives, because we love to read about food!  Here are several of our favorite food-related books that are not cookbooks (although sometimes we like to peruse those as well).
Books we like for the pictures:

Take Away: 500 Photographs of Street Food Around the World  text and photographs by Jean-François Mallet

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats photographed by Peter Menzel ; written by Faith D'Aluisio

Gastroanomalies: Questionable Culinary Creations from the Golden Age of American Cookery by James Lileks


Books that entertain us without pictures:

Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America by Gustavo Arellano

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food  by Jennifer 8. Lee

America Eats!: On the Road with the WPA - The Fish Fries, Box Supper Socials, and Chitlin Feasts that Define Real American Food by Pat Willard

Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger by Nigel Slater

A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain

The Year of Eating Dangerously: A Global Adventure in Search of Culinary Extremes by Tom Parker Bowles

Blood, Bones, & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton

Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America by Linda Furiya

Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey through China by Jen Lin-Liu

The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl


Philosophy of cooking:

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

Home Cooking : A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin

The Art of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher


The only culinary audiobook I've ever recommended:

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table by Maya Angelou

Also check out the James Beard Foundation's 14 Great Reads for Food Lovers!

Words Without Borders

Courtest of DGaston7564

Sometimes our minds are limited by our language and we can only explore as far as that will carry us. Unfortunately, this can close us off to other ideas and ways of thinking and ultimately hinder our intellectual development. Discouraging thought for those who wish to expand their minds without these limitations.

Words Without Borders is an organization dedicated to tearing down these literary walls between cultures. They specialize in translating works from all over the world into English so that writers can reach new audiences and readers can gain a new perspective into other worlds and other minds. There have been over one thousand pieces published from 80 different languages and 114 different countries.

Several anthologies have been published including Words without Borders: The World through the Eyes of Writers and The Wall in My Head: Words and Images from the Fall of the Iron Curtain. They also publish a monthly magazine full of book reviews and works from international writers, including poetry, prose, essays, short stories, fiction and non-fiction. Subscribe here to their newsletter and book review list.  

Click on the book covers to check out some of these books by Words Without Borders:

                                     

Caribbean Cultures: Haiti

Continuing our look at Caribbean nations with a trip (via the library catalog) to Haiti! For country information, visit our Maps & other Geographic Data LibGuide, the CIA's World Factbook, or the website of the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C.

It's been almost two years since the 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, but Haiti is slowly rebuilding, according to reports. To read about the earthquake, pick up a copy of Time Earthquake Haiti: Tragedy and Hope or, if you want something you can share with children, try Eight Days: A Story of Haiti.

Here are some other materials about Haiti that you can find in the ABC Libraries' catalog:

A Promise in Haiti: A Reporter's Notes on Families and Daily Lives by Mark Curnutte

The Rainy Season: Haiti--Then and Now by Amy Wilentz

After the Dance: A Walk through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti by Edwidge Danticat

Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat

Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work by Edwidge Danticat

Breath, Eyes, Memory by EdwidgeDanticat

Anacaona, Golden Flower by Edwidge Danticat (J)

Vodou: Visions and Voices of Haiti

Night of Fire: The Black Napoleon and the Battle for Haiti by Martin Ros

Silencing the Guns in Haiti: The Promise of Deliberative Democracy by Irwin P. Stotzky

The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life by Ann Vanderhoof

Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende

Bouki Dances the Kokioko: A Comical Tale from Haiti by Diane Wolkstein (J)

Children of Yayoute: Folk Tales of Haiti by François Turenne des Prés (J)

Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian story of Hope by Youme Landowne (J)

Running the Road to ABC by Denizé Lauture (J)

Popo and Fifina by Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes (J)

Music

Zouk Attack

Caribbean Cultures: Jamaica

Continuing our look at Caribbean nations with a trip (via the library catalog) to Jamaica! For country information, visit our Maps & other Geographic Data LibGuide, the CIA's World Factbook, or the Jamaica Information Service.  Also: read Jamaica's newspaper, The Gleaner, online!

From Harvey River: A Memoir of my Mother and Her Island by Lorna Goodison

The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir by Staceyann Chin

John Crow's Devil by Marlon James

Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy

Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson

Reggae: The Rough Guide written by Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton

Rastafari: Roots and Ideology by Barry Chevannes

Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture of Jamaica text by Stephen Davis

The Natural Mystics: Marley, Tosh, and Wailer by Colin Grant

The Kebra Negast: The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith from Ethiopia and Jamaica edited by Gerald Hausman

Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork & Spoon: A Righteous Guide to Jamaican Cookery by Robb Walsh & Jay McCarthy

Jerk from Jamaica: Barbecue Caribbean Style by Helen Willinsky

This is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music by Lloyd Bradley


Duppy Talk : West Indian Tales of Mystery and Magic retold by Gerald Hausman (J)

Doctor Bird: Three Lookin' Up Tales from Jamaica by Gerald Hausman

Tiger Soup: An Anansi Story from Jamaica retold and illustrated by Frances Temple (J)

The Tangerine Tree by Regina Hanson (J Easy)


CDs

Drums of Defiance: Maroon Music from the Earliest Free Black Communities of Jamaica

In Search of the Lost Riddim by Ernest Ranglin

Retrospective: Classic Tracks from a Legendary Artist, Bunny Wailer

Arise Black Man, Peter Tosh and friends

Intensified!: Original Ska, 1962-1966

DVDs

Wide Sargasso Sea

The Harder They Come

Looking to eat some traditional Jamaican cuisine? JamaicaTravelandCulture.com has recipes for two of my favorite dishes, Pepperpot Soup & Patties.  Try drinking Sorrel along with your meal!

Caribbean Cultures: Dominican Republic

Continuing our look at Caribbean nations with a trip (via the library catalog) to the Dominican Republic!  For country information,  visit our Maps & other Geographic Data LibGuide, the CIA's World Factbook, or the official internet portal of the Dominican Republic.

Black in Latin America by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macorís by Mark Kurlansky

The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life by Ann Vanderhoof

Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits by David Ortiz with Tony Massarotti

The Last Playboy: The High Life of Porfirio Rubirosa by Shawn Levy

The Latin Beat: The Rhythms and Roots of Latin Music from Bossa Nova to Salsa and Beyond by Ed Morales

Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle for Hispaniola by Michele Wucker

Song of the Water Saints by Nelly Rosario

The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa

Drown by Junot Díaz

My Two Worlds by Ginger Gordon

A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia by Julia Alvarez (J Easy)

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez (YA Fiction)

In the Name of Salomé by Julia Alvarez

DVDs

Trópico de Sangre: la pelea por la libertad les costo la vida

Tropico

CDs

La llave de mi corazon, Juan Luis Guerra

Caribbean Revels: Haitian Rara and Dominican Gagá

Caribbean Cultures: Puerto Rico

Last week I watched the movie Piñero, which is a 2001 biopic celebrating the Latino poet-playwright-actor Miguel Piñero, whose urban poetry is recognized as a precursor to rap and hip-hop.  Piñero used to call himself "Nuyorican" in homage to his Puerto Rican heritage-he was one of the founders of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.  The same day, I watched the movie based on Julia Alvarez's wonderful book In the Time of the Butterflies, set in the Dominican Republic, which got me thinking that it might be interesting to showcase different cultures of the Caribbean with a short list of selected items for all ages from our library catalog. So, here goes-Puerto Rico! Some related fiction, poetry, a play, & music for you to enjoy.


Latino Visions: Contemporary Chicano, Puerto Rican, and Cuban American Artists by James D. Cockcroft

Growing Up Puerto Rican: An Anthology edited by Joy L. De Jesus

Puerto Rican Cookery by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli

Juan Bobo and the Pig: A Puerto Rican Folktale retold by Felix Pitre

Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa by Micol Ostow

Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside a Cereal Box by Juan Felipe Herrera

When the Spirits Dance Mambo: Growing up Nuyorican in El Barrio by Marta Moreno Vega
Short Eyes : A Play by Miguel Piñero

Remedios: Stories of Earth and Iron from the History of Puertorriquenas by Aurora Levins Morales

Song of the Simple Truth = Obras Completa Poética = The Complete Poems by Julia de Burgos

The House on the Lagoon by Rosario Ferré

Las Christmas: Favorite Latino Authors Share Their Holiday Memories edited by Esmeralda Santiago and Joie Davidow

Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago

Puerto Rico Mio: Four Decades of Change = Cuatro Decadas de Cambio photographs by Jack Delano

Captain of the Sleepers by Mayra Montero

Los Puertorriqueños (DVD)

Música + Alma + Sexo, Ricky Martin (CD)

Visit the Welcome to Puerto Rico! website or the  CIA World Factbook to learn more about its history, culture, & people.