false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173716333m/316967.jpg 316967 6 Growing up in Spanish Harlem, Chino knew he needed three things to survive: a solid friend (his <I>pana</I>), a decent nickname--not some lame thing his parents had called him, like Tito or Googie--and a reputation that he would rather lose a tooth or get his ribs broken than back out of a fight. With the help of Sapo, "the meanest and ugliest kid on the block," Chino manages to make it as far as college before his life is endangered. He even attracts the attention of Nancy Saldivia, a beautiful Pentecostal girl so genuinely devout that she has earned the high school nickname "Blanca." In a typically vivid passage at the start of his debut novel, <I>Bodega Dreams</I>, Ernesto Quiñonez writes: <blockquote> Blanca wasn't allowed to wear jeans but she made up for it by wearing tight, short skirts. She always carried a Bible with her and never talked bad about anybody and at school she only hung around with her Pentecostal friend, Lucy. Lucy was a hairy girl who never shaved her legs because it was against her religion. Blanca had hairy legs as well, but Lucy's legs were so hairy that everyone called her Chewbacca.... When the cruelty toward Lucy became too much for Blanca, she'd punish the boys by being the coldest, most serious person in school. Only Blanca could get away with this because she had an angelic face that almost made you want to sing Alleluia. Made you want to pick up a tambourine and join her one night in her church. Make a joyful noise to the Lord so she would begin to jump up and down to all that religious salsa. And maybe you'd be lucky enough to cop a cheap feel as the Holy Ghost took over her body. </blockquote> Our narrator's luck is running out, though, and when Sapo introduces him to the mysterious, powerful Willie Bodega, Chino finds himself helplessly drawn into a criminal network. Even if Chino and Sapo's world is far from your own, you can't help but succumb to Quiñonez's funny, rapid-fire prose and his uncanny gift for dialect. The author's dead-on renderings of verbal tics and rhythms fit seamlessly into his depiction of the vibrant culture of East Harlem. <I>Bodega Dreams</I> is an unusually accomplished debut with all the right ingredients: distinctive characters, a troubling plot, and a seductive voice. <I>--Regina Marler</I> 307787 book 14 3 2000 Bodega Dreams: A Novel total:383|5:82|4:152|3:110|2:34|1:5| 383 1421 502 67 3 2 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 14 17:32:11 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 13:57:08 -0700 2008 "Bodega Dreams" is one of those books that don't have a catchy cover, however as you start reading the first pages the book drives you into wanting to read more and more. It cought my attention due to the fact that it talks bout how it all started back in high school when sapo and chino ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Oct 05 09:10:53 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 09:13:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 10 11:22:55 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 13 10:19:00 -0800 2009 This book is about a young man named Julio, living in Spanish Harlem. He te...more...]]> 3 1 false false Wed Nov 19 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 17:33:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 18:57:28 -0800 2008 1 Bodega Dreams. Oscar Quinonez created a work with multiple layers and textures but I am unsure if it is all smoke and mirrors. Ranging from, "Yeah, I know guys like that," to characters who are caricatures, Quinonez populates his first novel with peeps f...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Apr 05 06:47:40 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 06:55:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 08 15:53:43 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 03 18:18:08 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 08 15:48:20 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 13:32:33 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 13:37:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Apr 21 18:30:22 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 18:38:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Nov 04 10:02:16 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 10:07:10 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Apr 29 11:46:27 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 11:54:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 06:41:31 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 06:48:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 26 05:26:21 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 10 05:58:54 -0700 2009 Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte, in college we discussed the big problem with the industrial novel: the "problem of the working class" aspect of the novel is always tied to some sort of romantic plot and inevitably, come the end, the romance is resolved (marriage!) and the problem...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 14 14:52:54 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 14:53:00 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 17 09:18:35 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 14:44:13 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 24 21:16:59 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 31 16:05:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Sep 03 12:33:20 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 12:38:02 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 04 10:03:30 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 10:04:15 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Thu Mar 29 07:45:11 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 29 13:34:00 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Oct 04 17:11:46 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 17:12:57 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Mar 16 11:55:09 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 11:55:45 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=316967