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150th out of 162 books
—
89 voters
The Republic of East L.A.
From the award-winning author of Always Running comes a brilliant collection of short stories about life in East Los Angeles. Whether hilariously capturing the voice of a philosophizing limo driver whose dream is to make the most of his rap-metal garage band in "My Ride, My Revolution," or the monologue-styled rant of a tes-ti-fy-ing! tent revivalist named Ysela in "Oiga,"...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
March 4th 2003
by Harper Perennial
(first published 2002)
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It was ok. I am always interested in reading things by Latino-American writers and with Latino-American characters, and while my usual focus is the Hispanophone Caribbean, Mexican and Chicano identity and experience interest me because I think the long-time transnational relationship between Mexico and the U.S. helps to shape the contours of the broader Latino-American imaginary. Unfortunately, however, these stories fail to engage at any level and they are hampered by clunky prose and maudlin c...more
I've just become a Rodriguez fan. This book contains twelve of his short stories. The descriptions in these stories are fresh- I'll demonstrate a couple of examples of his technique:
From "Finger Dance," page 76:
“Although they had long stopped being intimate, she was connected to him like a canary to a song.”
From the intro to "Boom Boom Bot," page 91:
“There was nothing around for miles but buildings rife with graffiti, sun-starched streets, and bone-gray cement walkways—an exasperating sameness...more
From "Finger Dance," page 76:
“Although they had long stopped being intimate, she was connected to him like a canary to a song.”
From the intro to "Boom Boom Bot," page 91:
“There was nothing around for miles but buildings rife with graffiti, sun-starched streets, and bone-gray cement walkways—an exasperating sameness...more
1.) This book has 12 short stories, all of them take place in east L.A. They all are from different people and their stories.
2.) I gave the book 4 stars because it was really good except for a couple of the stories. A couple just did not interest me.
3.) "Although they had long stopped being intimate, she was connected to him like a canary to song." (76, Rodriguez) I chose this quote because it was from one of the stories that i liked and the lady was still in love with the man even though he was...more
2.) I gave the book 4 stars because it was really good except for a couple of the stories. A couple just did not interest me.
3.) "Although they had long stopped being intimate, she was connected to him like a canary to song." (76, Rodriguez) I chose this quote because it was from one of the stories that i liked and the lady was still in love with the man even though he was...more
I really enjoyed reading these stories. There may have been a few towards the end I could have done without, but overall, Luis Rodriguez does an incredible job of crafting these many characters and developing their relationship with their East L.A environment (and sometimes Mexico as well). I just like how much you get a feel for the protagonists and the settings in so few pages.
I expected much more. Yes East L.A. has poverty and crime etc. etc. but there are also people going to college people with good jobs and just plain people making it even though they live in the ghetto. Unfortunately all of these stories but one are typical ( as in already written/ similarly written) ghetto stories. I expected much more from Luis Rodriguez. Like the rating says: it was ok.
This is a collection of short stories about the Mexican immigrants in East L.A.. The stories are interesting but for the most part not too happy. They're about poverty, hunger, unemployment, despair and violence. I finished the book just feeling sorry for all the poor people that have to live under these terrible circumstances.
This book is awesome it's an inside look into live in East L.A. and what people there go through and how they live and how some of them can overcome poverty and gangs and actually make a positive future for themselves.
I guess one of the reasons i enjoyed this book more than i should have is because of the settings the author uses... It's all over the neighborhood i grew up around!... Loved it!
Rodriquez is such a clear, sharp and vibrant writer. I haven't heard anyone tell it quite like he has.
I read three stories from this collection: "My Ride, My Revolution," "Mechanics," and "Chain-Link Lover."
Rodriguez is one of my favourite authors, so naturally I'm biased.
Beautiful, Rodriguez shows his passion for story telling.
woo hoo! first book of 2008! i hadn't read short stories in quite a while because i don't really like them. these were very readable and the subject matter was interesting (set in the east la of my lifetime, more or less), but most of them ended quite abruptly, as though the author suddenly recalled that he was writing a short story and could end it at his convenience. so, worth a quick read, but not overwhelmingly wonderful.
This is a book of short stories with amazing imagery of East L.A., Los Feliz, Boyle Heights, Echo Park areas. I bought it a revolutionary bookstore filled w/ Che Guevarra memorobelia. The book is very graphic, yet realistic. The underlying theme is hope...even though these characters seemingly have nothing to hope for...they just keep on going.
I love this book. It's a bunch of short stories that all take place in East LA. It opened my eyes alot to immigrant communitites and hispanic communitites- people just trying to get by in unincorporated East LA in the barros.
i love short stories. vivid, touching, and funny. because it is set it LA, i recognized street names and places, and got a tiny taste of LA's cultural richness.
Vivid characters come alive in this collection of short stories where people laugh despite living in poverty and hope for a brighter life.
i really enjoyed this book. it gave me the knowledge that many other people go through the same experiences as i do.
although fiction, it features many stories that one would find having grown up in east la
Sep 25, 2008
Julie Gallegos
added it
Vivid and inspiring!
I liked these stories. You learn a little bit more about the barrio of East LA from everybody's perspective.
short stories
May 12, 2013
Ana Gonzalez
marked it as to-read
Apr 26, 2013
Anna
marked it as to-read
Apr 25, 2013
April Kelly
marked it as to-read
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Luis J. Rodríguez (b. 1954) is a poet, journalist, memoirist, and author of children’s books, short stories, and novels. His documentation of urban and Mexican immigrant life has made him one of the most prominent Chicano literary voices in the United States. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican immigrant parents, Rodríguez grew up in Los Angeles, where in his teen yearshe joined a gang, lived on th...more
More about Luis J. Rodríguez...
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Jun 29, 2007 01:40pm