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Riding Low Through the Streets of Gold: Latino Literature for Young Adults
"There seemed to be no way out of the custom. Her arguments were always the same and always turned into pleas... ‘But, Amá, it’s embarrassing. I’m too old for that. I’m an adult,’" Naomi says in Helena María Viramontes’ story "Growing." Ever since Naomi hit high school and puberty, she noticed "There were too many expectations, and no one instructed her on how to fulfill them..." In her tradition-bound family and under the thundering brow of her father, Naomi struggles to stretch the limitations imposed by her family, even as her flesh stretches in her changing body.
Like "Growing," the pieces in this anthology for young adults bear the twists and pulls of the struggles of discovering a new self and the trials of leaving behind an old one. This beautiful collection gathers a wealth of pieces well chosen for young stories and poems that are studded with the challenges of negotiating identity and learning to love the bodies and worlds in which young adults find themselves.
Edited by well-known poet and prose writer Judith Ortiz Cofer, the collection includes work by some of the leading writers for young adults like Pat Mora and Nicholasa Mohr, by such celebrated writers as Tomás Rivera, Virgil Suárez, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Lorna Dee Cervantes and Viramontes, as well as some new voices that will become a part of the literary canon of the twenty-first century. For many students across the U.S., this text will serve as the first introduction into these diverse writers and U.S. Hispanic literature.
Like "Growing," the pieces in this anthology for young adults bear the twists and pulls of the struggles of discovering a new self and the trials of leaving behind an old one. This beautiful collection gathers a wealth of pieces well chosen for young stories and poems that are studded with the challenges of negotiating identity and learning to love the bodies and worlds in which young adults find themselves.
Edited by well-known poet and prose writer Judith Ortiz Cofer, the collection includes work by some of the leading writers for young adults like Pat Mora and Nicholasa Mohr, by such celebrated writers as Tomás Rivera, Virgil Suárez, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Lorna Dee Cervantes and Viramontes, as well as some new voices that will become a part of the literary canon of the twenty-first century. For many students across the U.S., this text will serve as the first introduction into these diverse writers and U.S. Hispanic literature.
198 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
About the author
Judith Ortiz Cofer
46 books112 followersJudith Ortiz Cofer (born in 1952) is a Puerto Rican author. Her work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and young-adult fiction.
Judith Ortiz Cofer was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, on February 24, 1952. She moved to Paterson, New Jersey with her family in 1956. They often made back-and-forth trips between Paterson and Hormigueros. In 1967, her family moved to Augusta, Georgia, where she attended Butler High School. Ortiz Cofer received a B.A. in English from Augusta College, and later an M.A. in English from Florida Atlantic University.
Ortiz Cofer's work can largely be classified as creative nonfiction. Her narrative self is strongly influenced by oral storytelling, which was inspired by her grandmother, an able storyteller in the tradition of teaching through storytelling among Puerto Rican women. Ortiz Cofer's autobiographical work often focuses on her attempts at negotiating her life between two cultures, American and Puerto Rican, and how this process informs her sensibilities as a writer. Her work also explores such subjects as racism and sexism in American culture, machismo and female empowerment in Puerto Rican culture, and the challenges diasporic immigrants face in a new culture. Among Ortiz Cofer's more well known essays are "The Story of My Body" and "The Myth of the Latin Woman," both reprinted in The Latin Deli.
In 1984, Ortiz Cofer joined the faculty of the University of Georgia, where she is currently Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing. In April 2010, Ortiz Cofer was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
In 1994, she became the first Hispanic to win the O. Henry Prize for her story “The Latin Deli”. In 1996, Ortiz Cofer and illustrator Susan Guevara became the first recipients of the Pura Belpre Award for Hispanic children’s literature.
(from Wikipedia)
Judith Ortiz Cofer was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, on February 24, 1952. She moved to Paterson, New Jersey with her family in 1956. They often made back-and-forth trips between Paterson and Hormigueros. In 1967, her family moved to Augusta, Georgia, where she attended Butler High School. Ortiz Cofer received a B.A. in English from Augusta College, and later an M.A. in English from Florida Atlantic University.
Ortiz Cofer's work can largely be classified as creative nonfiction. Her narrative self is strongly influenced by oral storytelling, which was inspired by her grandmother, an able storyteller in the tradition of teaching through storytelling among Puerto Rican women. Ortiz Cofer's autobiographical work often focuses on her attempts at negotiating her life between two cultures, American and Puerto Rican, and how this process informs her sensibilities as a writer. Her work also explores such subjects as racism and sexism in American culture, machismo and female empowerment in Puerto Rican culture, and the challenges diasporic immigrants face in a new culture. Among Ortiz Cofer's more well known essays are "The Story of My Body" and "The Myth of the Latin Woman," both reprinted in The Latin Deli.
In 1984, Ortiz Cofer joined the faculty of the University of Georgia, where she is currently Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing. In April 2010, Ortiz Cofer was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
In 1994, she became the first Hispanic to win the O. Henry Prize for her story “The Latin Deli”. In 1996, Ortiz Cofer and illustrator Susan Guevara became the first recipients of the Pura Belpre Award for Hispanic children’s literature.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 3, 2010
I very much enjoyed this collection of short stories and poetry from Latino-American authors. The bios of each author set the context of the works. The settings ranged in time from the early 1900s to the early 2000s, and many of the characters remain with me. I'll be looking for other works by the authors in this collection. Recommended as a good read, and particularly for teens of any culture or for adults interested in Latino culture and literature.
March 30, 2009
I have had this book for far too long and I have finally read it. It is a collection of Latino Literature, including poems, short stories, and selections from longer books. The stories are heart-felt, touching, and very honest. Fantastic writing... highly recommend "Carrying Sergei" by Mike Padilla.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews