THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

from WingPress “ Argentine journalist Varsavsky has deftly created a stark and unsentimental heroine who may strike some readers as Holden Caulfield’s female counterpart .”            --Library Journal Our heroine, Luz Goldman, grows up amid the “Dirty Wars” in Argentina during the 1970s, when people were disappearing daily. But Luz doesn’t care, even when her cousin disappears following a police interview. She is a bored teenager more interested in fashion and boys then the political world shaping her life. Luz is the product of divorced parents, which means she is spoiled and ignored in equal measure. She plays her parents against each other, has a love-hate (more hate) relationship with her stepmother, doesn’t really get along with her step siblings, and prefers being with friends than family. Luz does get along better with her father, but, though he is a brilliant astrophysicist, he never stands up to the women in his...

Join me every week for Picture Friday.  Today's subject is the wonderful actress Ms. Chita Rivera . I just saw her last night on Broadway in "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" at Studio 54.  She was stunning.  The woman is still a MegaStar.  In fact, of all the troope, hers was the clearest voice.  Definitely go see her and the play if you can. Happy Friday!--maria Chita Rivera as Miss Angela Prysock playing The Princess Puffer

The Latina Book Club congratulates President Obama on his second term in office. We’d also like to congratulate Richard Blanco for being the first Latino Inaugural Poet. Today, January 21, 2013, Americans celebrate the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, President Barack Hussein Obama takes the Oath of Office for his second term. Today, for the fifth time in history, there is an Inaugural Poet, and for the first time in history, that Poet is a Latino living the American Dream – Richard Blanco . Below is the full text of Richard’s inaugural poem. One Today By Richard Blanco Inaugural Poet January 21, 2013 One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores, peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies. One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story told by our silent gestures moving behind windows. My face, your face, millions o...

   HOT OFF THE PRESS!  BOOK DEBUTS TODAY! From a Bronx housing project to the Federal bench, Sonia Sotomayor has come a long way.  She is an inspiration to Latina girls of all ages.  Here for the first time, is the story of Sotomayor's rocky childhood, and the long, hard road to becoming the first Hispanic and the third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court.  It's a personal look at the private woman behind the bench.  Congratulations, Sonia! BOOK SUMMARY:     MY BELOVED WORLD  tells the story of Sotomayor's precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to giv...

   Not since Dora and Diego, have I read such wonderful books for children. The Heritage Language books were written for kids ages 5 to 8 years old. They are all easy to read and full of fun, playful, entertaining illustrations. (Even the wallpaper is gorgeous!) The books come with their own CD for easy listening. The best part – the Heritage Language books are Bilingual. There are five books in total revolving around the brother and sister team of Pedro and Margarita. All the books are written by Adriana Pacheco and illustrated by Mike Phi . And, they are all written in both English and Spanish. The English version of the story is on one page, with the Spanish translation on the opposite page. However, each page has an original and beautiful illustration of its own, rich in cultural elements that will enhance kids’ learning experience. The five books include: Elephants to the Rescue / Elefantes al Rescate A family trip to a coffee plantation leads to a big adve...

The Latina Book Club wishes everyone a Happy 2013!