Famous People of Hispanic Heritage (Contemporary American Success Stories), Vol. 4
- Book Review,
by Barbara J. Marvis
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8. Short biographies of four successful Hispanic Americans. Best known is Selena Quintanilla Perez. Simple text describes her childhood, her rise as a Tejano (a mixture of polka, Mexican, and popular music) performer, and her murder in 1995. Robert Rodriguez is a flamboyant film director who, by the age of 28, had completed three major motion pictures. Although success came early, it did not come easily. He financed much of his early work by participating in drug-research studies. Josefina Lopez made a name for herself as a playwright. At age 20, she won an Emmy for Simply Maria. Alfredo Estrada is a lawyer-turned-publisher who founded Hispanic magazine in 1988. The writing throughout the four biographical sketches is energetic, albeit somewhat sugar-coated. For example, Marvis writes that Selena didn't flaunt her wealth?except for expensive Silver Eagle buses, her Porsche, and a 10-bedroom home. Also, a few errors appear in the text, such as saying that Lopez, who graduated from high school in 1987, was still in high school in 1989. Black-and-white photos of uneven quality appear throughout. On the whole, though, this is a worthwhile acquisition.?Denise E. Agosto, Midland County Public Library, TXCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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