Ten Hispanic American Authors

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10-Hill presents solid information in these succinct profiles of Julia Alvarez, Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Oscar Hijuelos, Nicholasa Mohr, Richard Rodriguez, Esmeralda Santiago, Gary Soto, and Piri Thomas. The presentations have an appropriately reverential tone, yet stop short of unadulterated admiration. Literary influences, childhood experiences, and education are the major points addressed in each essay. Not surprisingly, language barriers created problems for most of the authors as children. While some view their bilingualism as an advantage, Rodriguez felt that, "To succeed in the classroom, I needed psychologically to sever my ties with Spanish." The subjects all experienced prejudice in one form or another, and their varying ways of dealing with it make for interesting reading. At his lowest point, Thomas turned to crime and drugs while harboring, " a big hate for anything white." One black-and-white portrait of each author as well as related black-and-white photos accompany each essay. The rather ordinary illustrative choices belie the doubtlessly fascinating lives of these extraordinary writers. While insufficient for full reports, the information given will provide students with basic introductions to these individuals.Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TXCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Reviewed with Barbara Kramer's The Founders of Famous Food Companies. Gr. 6-12. Each of these attractively designed, readable titles in the Collective Biographies series introduces 10 people of interest to young readers, with a short informative chapter that outlines each subject's life and work. Hill's focused literary biographies introduce Hispanic American literature in English. She writes with simple eloquence, drawing frequently on the Latino writers' own stirring memoirs, from Piri Thomas to Judith Ortiz Cofer, to show how differently each one interprets the experience of bilingualism and of growing up in two cultures. Many readers will want to go from here to seek out the writers' works. Kramer's style in Food Companies is dull, but the facts are riveting. The bios of those who started McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mrs. Fields' Cookies, etc., are stories of business daring and rags-to-riches success. The books, which include black-and-white portraits, excellent chapter notes, bibliographies, and Internet addresses, demonstrate how a single chapter can be a starting point and a guide to the overwhelming information on the Net. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Booklist, May 1, 2002
"Focused literary biographies...She writes with simple eloquence...to show how differently each [author] interprets the experience of bilingualism."

School Library Journal, June, 2002
"Solid information in these succinct profiles... interesting reading...fascinating lives of extraordinary writers."

Book Description
Like other minorities, Hispanic Americans had to fight for equal treatment and break ground in fields dominated by others. When breaking into the world of literature, ten authors in particular made a difference in this struggle. In Ten Hispanic American Authors, author Christine M. Hill introduces the ten writers who broke through the barrier and triumphed to become successful writers. Most of these writers, who include Julia Alvarez, Gary Soto, Sandra Cisneros, and Richard Rodriguez, grew up in families where storytelling was common and the public library was a place that they spent many hours. Other authors included are Rudolfo Anaya, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Oscar Hijuelos, Nicholasa Mohr, Esmeralda Santiago, and Piri Thomas.

About the Author
Christine M. Hill is a children's librarian as well as a writer of books for young people. She is married and the mother of two college students. Her other books for Enslow Publishers include Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance, Robert Ballard: Oceanographer Who Discovered the Titanic and Ten Terrific Authors for Teens.


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Gr 7-10-Hill presents solid information in these succinct profiles of Julia Alvarez, Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Oscar Hijuelos, Nicholasa Mohr, Richard Rodriguez, Esmeralda Santiago, Gary Soto, and Piri Thomas. The presentations have an appropriately reverential tone, yet stop short of unadulterated admiration. Literary influences, childhood experiences, and education are the major points addressed in each essay. Not surprisingly, language barriers created problems for most of the authors as children. While some view their bilingualism as an advantage, Rodriguez felt that, "To succeed in the classroom, I needed psychologically to sever my ties with Spanish." The subjects all experienced prejudice in one form or another, and their varying ways of dealing with it make for interesting reading. At his lowest point, Thomas turned to crime and drugs while harboring, " a big hate for anything white." One black-and-white portrait of each author as well as related black-and-white photos accompany each essay. The rather ordinary illustrative choices belie the doubtlessly fascinating lives of these extraordinary writers. While insufficient for full reports, the information given will provide students with basic introductions to these individuals.-Laura Glaser, Euless Junior High School, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.


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