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119th out of 133 books
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The Republic of East L.A.: Stories
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
...morePaperback, 256 pages
Published
March 1st 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 ...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 b...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 b...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.
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."
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.
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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
Julie Gallegos
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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
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Luis J. Rodriguez (born 1954) is an American poet, novelist, journalist, critic, and columnist. His work has won several awards, and he is recognized as a major figure of contemporary Chicano literature. His best-known work, Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A., is the recipient of the Carl Sandburg Literary Award, among others, and has been the subject of controversy when included on r...more
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