Raul Julia: Actor and Humanitarian ANNOTATION
Relates the life and career of the Puerto Rican native who came to the United States where he became an outstanding actor and a prominent humanitarian until his recent death.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Raul Julia: Actor and Humanitarian details the life and career of one of the most influential actors in recent history. Julia was not only a notable actor, but a great inspiration to others as well. He devoted himself to humanitarian and social concerns, such as feeding the hungry, as well as to ending stereotypes about Latin American culture.
FROM THE CRITICS
VOYA - Judy Ehrenstein
The Hispanic Biographies series offers chronological accounts of the lives of famous Hispanics, both those living in the United States as well as elsewhere in the world. The short chapters are interspersed with varied quality black-and-white photographs and maps, and endnotes cite numerous newspaper and magazine articles. The role of Hispanic heritage often serves as a connecting thread in each biography, as the individual succeeded in a career but never lost touch with his or her ethnicity. Chronologies at the end offer quick reviews of personal and career events. A section of suggested readings includes other biographies as well as titles related to the biographee's profession. Ra�l Juli may be best known to readers as Gomez Addams in the 1991 film The Addams Family, but he starred in many other films and plays until his death in 1994. Cast in many roles highlighting his Puerto Rican heritage, he fought to be seen as an actor, not a Puerto Rican actor. The biography seems to mention every role he must have had, which gets a bit tedious. A Nobel-prize winning poet, Pablo Neruda fled his native Chile several times due to his political activities. A staunch Communist, he often used his poetry to call attention to the social injustices in the world. This biography of a poet is also a concise history of Chile's political plight. It seems unclear why the author, after establishing that "Pablo Neruda" was a name chosen by the man born Neftal� Ricardo Reyes Basoalto would use "Neftal�" for two pages then switch on and off from that to "Neruda" in one chapter, then switch permanently to "Neruda" for the rest of the book. Of the three biographies, the one on Gloria Estefan will undoubtedly serve collections the best. Her success, first as a vocalist with Miami Sound Machine and then as a solo act, is woven together with her devotion to her family and to numerous social causes, including a benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Andrew. These biographies will meet one-hundred-plus-page requirements for assignments. The writing style, particularly in the Juli and Estefan books, is somewhat similar to that found in fanzines, but reluctant readers may find this appealing. Index. Photos. Maps. Source Notes. Further Reading. Chronology. Note: This review was written and published to address three titles: Raul Julia: Actor and Humanitarian, Gloria Estefan: Singer and Entertainer, and Pablo Neruda: Nobel Prize Winning Poet. VOYA Codes: 3Q 2P M J (Readable without serious defects, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-An adequate if somewhat dry biography of the talented actor/social activist. Cruz follows Juli 's life from his boyhood in Puerto Rico to his career as a Broadway and Hollywood actor of international renown and his activities as a committed humanitarian. A chronology of the actor's career and a selected list of his theater and film credits are included. Oddly, there is also a list of seven books for further reading, only two of which have anything specifically to do with the subject. Four are collections of Shakespearean tales and the fifth is a collection of scenes and monologues from Hispanic, Asian, and African-American plays. As a resource for students hoping to familiarize themselves with the works of the Bard, this list might have some value. As a list of titles for further reading on the actor, it reeks of the kind of padding one might expect from its intended audience, not its author. Most of the black-and-white photographs are a little fuzzy and some are so dark they verge on being unrecognizable. Also, one passage bears a close resemblance to the 1982 Current Biography entry but no note of this source appears in the 10 pages of chapter notes. Still, Juli 's life is a compelling story of a man who achieved success, yet avoided the many excesses of celebrity.-Herman Sutter, Saint Pius X High School, Houston, TX
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