THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

    Our Book of the Month is one that will make you laugh, cry and scream.  And why shouldn't it? It's Halloween!!  Here's an excerpt.  Happy Reading!! “Gypsy Moon” WICKED REMNANTS By Manuel A. Meléndez Book cover by Carlos Aleman Illustrations by Henry Simon EXCERPT He rose from the black bushes like a solid shadow from death. His nightmarish yellow eyes stared at me with hatred. His enlarged pointed nostril flared as mucous dripped from its depth. His muscled hairy torso expanded to proportions of unbelievable massiveness. His arms were like tree trunks that ended into sharp huge claws. From behind me I heard Deanna scream and my own fears were increased for the safety of us. With foolishness or machismo bravado overcoming my anguish I clenched my hands into fist and prepared if not to save my life, to at least save Deanna’s. The wolf-like creature ripped through the shrubs, his almost human hoofs inching closer ...

    The Latina Book Club congratulates Linda LaRoche on her first book.   DUST UNTO SHADOW is the story of immigrants returning to their homeland and not being as welcomed as they thought they’d be.   Linda has gracious shared an excerpt with us via video.  Enjoy! EXCERPT!   To hear an excerpt read by the author, click here . Q: Congratulations on your first book. We understand your grandmother and mom inspired the book. Tell us how? What is the book about? LINDA LAROCHE:  My mother inspired the book and her immediate family. From the time I was a child I had an interest in genealogy and would ask my parents and grandmothers questions about their growing up years. In the early 1990's while living in Berlin, I had the opportunity to explore my creativity- I trained as a method actor and made a living from having a small part on a television series and commercials, A friend suggested that we do our genealogy throu...

The Latina Book Club welcomes back author Edward Cisneros aka Eddie C.  He has revamped and revised his old book, HIS-PANIC, to bring us the new improved version – HISPANICUS: THE APOSTATE LIFE OF ANTONIO PINTERO.  It’s the dirty, gritty story of a 15-year old drug dealer who rules the streets of New York.  Before we share an excerpt from his book, we asked Eddie C about how New York City inspires much of his writing.--mcf Q:  How does New York City and its dark underbelly inspire you? EDDIE C:   I think for visualization purposes, you can easily move away from the neon lights of Times Square and perhaps move a little further uptown, soak in a totally different atmosphere. Maybe journey out to the Bronx, Brooklyn, certain parts of Queens. It’s not to say that New York in general is this entire rotten apple, but there are parts that can give you that grime and realness, in order to authenticate what you write about. I've always said tha...

The Latina Book Club is pleased to welcome back Stephanie Elizondo Griest . She has been around “the bloc” a few times and always returns with a great story.  However, her new book ALL THE AGENTS AND SAINTS hits closer to home.  Below is an excerpt from the book, followed by an interview with Stephanie.  And, Mark Your Calendars! Stephanie will be in New York for a book signing on Tuesday, October 3, at 7pm at Bluestockings in the Lower East Side. We’ll see you there.--mcf I straddle two cultures,  I also inhabit the space between faith and doubt.              – Stephanie Elizondo Griest ALL THE AGENTS AND SAINTS Dispatches from the U.S. Borderlands by Stephanie Elizondo Griest University of North Carolina Press Note: This excerpt, snipped from the final chapter, takes places at the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne, which straddles the New York/Canada borderline. The author arrives at her friend...

   Poetry is like a song, like a psalm, like a prayer. Poetry is different things to many people, and April being Poetry Month, The  Latina Book Club  is celebrating by featuring Latino poets all week long. We welcome to our site poet Ariel Francisco , whom we thank for sharing his poem with us.            A VIEW OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY FROM THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE Locks cling to the bridge’s facade like piercings, inscribed with names in marker or lipstick. Their keys sunken to the bottom of the East River, combinations lost in the brackish waters of memory. A man in a black trench coat sells the locks to passing couples, encourages them to latch their hearts onto the bridge that’s already heavy with rust.  Way out on the jilted water: the silhouette of a dream-sized woman standing on a distant corner looks so familiar from this far away– arm raised to hail a cab that will never com...