Lucho Castillo's Blog

A Peasant of El Salvador, by Peter Gould and Stephen Stearns

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One of the saddest stories of any country in the world is the story of the wonderful, little nation of El Salvador. It is a volcanic, tropical place full of intelligent and kind people. Unfortunately, it is also a classic, tragic tale of greed, war and exploitation.

The Civil War in the Central American nation of El Salvador was fought between the US backed, military-led junta government and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, from October 1979 to January 1992. It was years of terrorizing and killing civilians, including priests and nuns; more than 75,000 people died during the war. The United Nations estimated that the FMLN guerrillas were responsible for 5% of the acts of violence towards civilians, while 85% were committed by Salvadoran armed forces and death squads. A Peasant of El Salvador, by Peter Gould and Stephen Stearns, takes place during that conflict.

It is a two-act play, set in 1975, which tells the story of Jesus a hard-working farmer. He is described as a man who “wears a straw hat, peasant white pants and shirt.” He believes that hard work, a loving family and an unwavering faith in God is all one needs to be happy. What he does not know, is that he will be a victim of the cold war between the U.S. and Russia, and the unbelievable greed of his own countrymen. The play is quite fair about the factors that were involved in that horrible war. His village, family and faith are slowly torn apart, but not just by the Americans. The play is honest about the greed of the 0.01% of families that owned 77% of the land, and how the military used ruthless tactics, learned from the Americans, against their own people.  

In one powerful scene, in act one, Jesus is looking for his daughter. The  officer tells him the nuns she was with were communists. Jesus is told to go home because no one is concerned about the death of  “a carload of commies trying to run a roadblock.” The reader, and Jesus, realize that the Salvadorian people were powerless. In the end, it was the greed of wealthy Salvadorians, and a soulless U.S., foreign policy, that tried to destroy one of the most resilient countries on earth. There is a terrible scene at the funeral of Monsignor Romero, a critic of the government, when government forces open fire on the mourners. This book has a lot of sadness packed into a few pages. At one point, I had to stop reading because it got so damn sad.

All wars in Latin America are part of our collective Latino consciousness, especially those whose remnants still negatively affect the country. A Peasant of El Salvadoris a wonderfully intimate, forty-page, history lesson about a terrible war. It is a play that made me feel deeply for a sweet, beautiful, but unlucky little country.

Until next time,

Lucho

California artist: Ernesto Yerena Montejano.

Have you heard about this great California artist?  Ernesto Yerena Montejano.





http://www.hechoconganas.com/

I love Mexican skulls!

Why you might want to read Latin@ Rising An Anthology of Latin@ Science Fiction and Fantasy

     
           Latin@ Rising An Anthology of Latin@ Science Fiction and Fantasyby Matthew David Goodwin and Frederick Luis Aldama, was disappointing. Many stories are uninteresting, even confusing. There are some stories that are wonderfully satisfying, but they are few and far between. Frankly, I thought a book full of Latino science fiction would be more interesting. That said, I think readers of sci fi, fiction or Latino literature, should consider this book anyway.  


There are gems in this anthology, like Room for Rent. It did exactly what I wanted it to do,  transport me to a wild, new world - brilliant! But The Road to Nyer was uninteresting. I wanted fantasy or sci fi, not to walk around someone’s house learning what the family business used to be. There were many stories that I had to endure, but I also enjoyed stories like Artificial. It is a masterful harbinger of a techno-Latino future not too far away. It has heart, a technological, futuristic element and a family in turmoil - I loved it! Someone should buy the movie rights. Circular Photography is confusing and boring. I read it twice - still confusing and boring. On the other hand, The Drain was f***king great horror!
I have trouble recommending this book at a price of  $16.95 on Amazon. It’s not worth it, but It means you’ll miss the great futuristic dystopian story, Lying Under the Texas Radar with Paco and Los Freetails.  
I was looking for glimpses of a Latino Star Trek,  Planet of the Apes or Hitchhikers Guide - I did not get that. However, it was an opportunity to experience some really weird s**t, through Latin eyes. I may not have liked many of the stories, but other readers might, which is why I think the book deserves consideration. What does make this anthology so special, is its wonderfully Latino point of view - something I’ve NEVER seen before.

Hablamos pronto,

Lucho   

Why you should read Sudden Fiction Latino: Short Short Stories from The United States and Latin America

Hello everyone, I want to introduce you to a book of short short stories that I loved. A book that offers a chance to read a wonderfully diverse group of writers, and about a broad range of experiences. It is a collective paella of Latino-ness, and when consumed, provides a realistic and well-balanced view of what it is like to live a Latino life. * The book is spilling over with delicious fictional tapas that are cross generational and multi-national. 
You'll find lust, betrayal and melancholy in the story Alma, by Junot Diaz. Why not dive into a deep-ass pool of Latino-literature with Insomnia, by V. Pinera. Maybe you need to be reminded to stay away from wierd teen age girls by The Hitchhiker. Readers can explore the broad array of themes deeper by reading more of the individual authors’ works. The book is a Latino Grimm’s Fairy Tales, full of little stories offering sage advice, and warnings to the wise. Like in life itself, there is sadness and longing in many of them, like in Miss Clairol, or The Back of My Own Head in a Crowd. Sometimes the tales can break your heart, like mine did when I read the sweet and desperate, Volar, by Judith Ortiz Cofer. Unfortunately, some of the stories were so short they left me longing for more, but that’s what a good short story does, isn’t it? This is a should read for all, and a must read for anyone who isn’t sure which Latino author to read first. Sudden Fiction Latino: Short Short Stories from The United States and Latin America is an excellent starting point for anyone new to Latin American fiction,


Until next time,  
Lucho 


P.S.Join my mailing list. Want to suggest a book, or submit a review? Please contact me. Maybe I’ll post it. 
*For the sake of clarity and ease, “Latino” refers to us all: Chicanos, Hispanics, people from Latin America and the Philippines (yes, the Philippines). 

Someday soon, we'll be dancing on the streets of Calle Ocho again!

Just a few weeks ago, my family and I visited Calle Ocho in Miami. Delicious food and
incredible atmosphere. People were literally dancing in the streets! 
I know deep inside, we will be dancing in the streets again, very soon. Stay safe everyone.

The Book of Unknown Americans, by Christina Henriquez

It is an interesting time to be Latin American, or Hispanic, in the united States. One of the positive aspects of our North American adventure is that never have this many Mexicans, Peruvians, Colombians, Dominicans - all of the Spanish speaking nations - lived together in one country. Ms. Henriquez does a wonderful job of painting a very realistic and fair picture of our new melting pot. She writes with great familiarity about her characters because their accents and personalities ring true. The people in the book are immigrants at different stages of their experience. Some of them are newly arrived and others have lived here for decades, all are under a microscope, and the author's comparisons and contrasts are fascinating.  The book had a fantastic effect on me, in the hustle of everyday life, it's hard to forget the plights of those who've just arrived to this wonderful country. I'd forgotten what it felt like to be new in America and this book was a beautiful reminder. It has made me take a fresh look at the nameless and faceless immigrants who mow our lawns, fix our roofs and wash our cars. Those forgotten people,  who in our society do not officially exist - the unknown Americans. The book has made me more sympathetic to the plight of the immigrant workers I see in my community every day.
All of the characters in the book are interesting, although you can make a good argument that not all of them were necessary. Some characters are just introduced in a few pages and have little to do with the main plot. I wondered why they are in the novel in the first place, but they were all interesting to some degree. The protagonists were very realistic and engaging, and I grew to care about them. Their  relationship seemed real, and intimate moments are drawn with a splash of humor mixed with sadness. I also appreciated the pro-American sentiment expressed by the main characters in the book, who miss Mexico, but come to respect and genuinely love their adopted home. 
I both liked and disliked the final chapters of the book. Itwould have been more believable, and satisfying, if the author would have let us see what happened to Arturo, instead of just telling us. However, I liked the ending, which I wish I could share with all of you but I won't because I want you to read the book.
Anyone interesting in Latino literature will appreciate this novel. The writing is good, not as beautiful as Esmaralda Santiago, or as focused as Luis Urrea's, but the style is easy to read and has moments of brilliance.

Latino Rythm

Saw this beautiful guitar celebrating our Latin American nations in the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida. It's a guitar shaped hotel!

You must read Drown, by Junot Diaz

Drown is a masterpiece of urban American Latino literature. It is a book of short stories told with a raw honesty and grit, by sympathetic characters. The people in his stories are not good or bad; they are flawed but not crewel. The book is a window into the lives of people where sadness is common place. Critics love the story entitled, How to date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie which is brilliantly funny. My favorite was Negocios, a powerful story narrated by a boy who’s father has basically abandoned his family to go to America. It is a story full of universal immigrant themes of hope and despair. The father is like almost all of Diaz’s characters, someone you can’t love because he’s a terrible father, but someone you can’t hate either.  
 A warning to those that do not speak Spanish. Mr. Diaz’s writing is superb, but you might find some of his prose clumsy to read. Spanish words appear with no warning or explanation. Even those who speak Spanish should have some knowledge of Caribbean Spanish or at least New Jersey Spanglish. Non-Spanish speakers will have to wonder what some of his best words mean, or use a dictionary. The story Drown was a little confusing at times. However, when a story works, it works beautifully and that is why  Mr. Diaz is one of the best writers in America. He is daring and writes fearlessly. In the end you close his book feeling satisfied, and like you have just read a great piece of writing.