Cool Salsa

by Lori M. Carlson (Editor), Oscar Hijuelos (Introduction)

Growing up Latino in America means speaking two languages, living two lives, learning the rules of two cultures. "Cool Salsa" celebrates the tones, rhythms, sounds, and experiences of that double life. Here are poems about families and parties, insults and sad memories, hot dogs and mangos, the sweet syllables of Spanish and the snag-toothed traps of English. Here is the glory--and pain--of being Latino American.

Latino Americans hail from Cuba and California, Mexico and Michigan, Nicaragua and New York, and editor Lori M. Carlson has made sure to capture all of those accents. With poets such as Sandra Cisneros, Martin Espada, Gary Soto, and Ed Vega, and a very personal introduction by Oscar Hijuelos, this collection encompasses the voices of Latino America. By selecting poems about the experiences of teenagers, Carlson has given a focus to that rich diversity; by presenting the poems both in their original language and in translation, she has made them available to us all.

As you move from memories of red wagons to dreams of orange trees to fights with street gangs, you feel "Cool Salsa"'s musical and emotional cross rhythms. Here is a world of exciting poetry for you, y tu tambien."

Genres: Poetry, Latinx

123 pages, Library Binding

Published March 19, 2013

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of poetry that reflects the Latino experience in the US. Some are happy, some sad. Most are written in both English and Spanish and a few of the poems combine both languages. I liked having both the English and Spanish versions of the poems since I could test my limited Spanish on the Spanish versions and see how far off I was with the English. So primarily for me, this was an exercise in Spanish, which does the collection a real disservice. Some of the poems have a real life to them. In any case, since I am not a fan of poetry and not fluent in Spanish especially in poetry, I don’t think I was the target audience for Cool Salsa. It is a pity.

3.5

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific collection of poems written by Latin Americans from many different countries of origin, and geared towards adolescents. MS. Carlson notes that most of the Latin American poetry for kids written in the USA is written not in Spanish, but in English. The English poems are translated into Spanish on the facing page for comparison. The poems are full of spirit, and they do a good job of targeting the things that LA kids may be thinking about, such as the challenges of living in two cultures at once. There is a universe of diversity within the Latin American community; this collection did well in finding representative poems from authors from so many different places and backgrounds. The book was published in 1994, a generation ago. It would be interesting to hear what topics today's bicultural adolescent would like to add that would further reflect his or her world

[Nathan Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good poetry collection focused on the latino experience. I enjoyed the blend of English and Spanish. Most poems are presented in both languages and some have such a mix of language that they aren’t translated. I always read the original first, which was most often the English translation. There’s a glossary at the back for some of the Spanish terms.

[Jourdan Coliman]

Cool Salsa is a collection of poems from the Latin American perspective. The poems cover topics that generalize around what it means to live The United States as a Latino person. Some of the poems are sad, some happy, some hardly truthful. Through these beautiful poems students can see a window into a reality of identity that may be very different from their own. In addition they can find moments in which they relate and connect with the authors as they too are trying to fit in when sometimes it seems impossible. For a writing activity I would have students write a poem that describes their experience of where they are growing up. What are the positives? Negatives? What do they love? What is challenging? Then through scaffolding they would create a poem.

[Consuelo Culver · Rating 5 out of 5]

OPINION:
Love that you only need one book for both languages because the poems are in English and Spanish.

The poems bring to life the cultural double identity of Hispanic and/or Latin immigrants to the United States (U.S.).

The poems also, expose the accepting or rejecting behavior of descendants of immigrants themselves toward new immigrants to the country. Let kindness be our guide.

YouTube LINK to a reading of my favorite poem: https://youtu.be/yk8E_2KXx-s

---ESPAñOL---
OPINION:
Me encanta que solo necesitas un libro para ambos languages ya que los poemas son en Ingles y Español.

Los poemas traen a la luz la doble identidad cultural de los Hispanos y/o Latinos inmigrantes a los Estado Unidos (E.U.).

Los poemas tambien, revelan el comportamiento de rechazo o aceptación de descendientes de inmigrantes hacia los nuevos inmigrantes al país. Que la bondad nos sirva de guia.

YouTube ENLACE para una lectura de mi poema favorito: https://youtu.be/tcvEtEX-awM

[Santiago Liechty-Gordillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool Salsa is a collection of poems from Hispanic poets. They go in-depth into topics ranging from parties to hard times and even school life. This collection celebrates Latino heritage intertwined in American society and learning about the two different cultures together. I thought that this book was just okay. I'm not the biggest fan of poetry, and if there's poetry I like, I like it to follow certain rules instead of mostly just free verse. Plenty of the poems were free verse, and to me, it felt more like a very short story instead of something more poetic. I did like how it went over a variety of subjects instead of just all the glitter and sunshine. I liked how the stories were about everyday lives because it made them seem relatable, and it made me feel more connected to them. It was nice to see a variety of poems from different Latino poets, so I was able to read a lot of different writing styles and experiences. I would recommend this book to people with multiple ethnic backgrounds and people who like a variety of poems about relatable experiences.

[Andrea Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for Spanish and Non-Spanish speakers, this book has a variety of stories one can relate to or view a different perspective they hadn’t viewed. Each story told has a Spanish and English version. These stories not only having meaningful messages that are straightforward but also have short stories that words can be viewed very differently. I would recommend this book to readers who like may be bilingual or like to read stories of other cultures.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had been able to read something like this when I was in high school.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection and I teach several of these poems. I loved both the Spanish and English translations and the diversity of the authors. I'd definitely think its for more mature readers (13+).

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago. I have some favorite poems that came from this book. I recently bought it to give as a gift but decided to read it again before giving it away. FUN read for me!

[Kacy Lou Leyba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down one of the best poetry collections I’ve ever read.

[Tihare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many poems hit close to home. Good read.

[Eric Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting selection of Latino poetry and outstanding intro by Oscar Hijuelos

[Jessica Herren · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars // I enjoyed it. Curious what my students will think.

[Karinne Caisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry about so many phases and experiences of life! I loved this book. Finished and wanted to immediately read it again. Got a copy for my classroom and gave one to a friend :)

[Lili Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Ana Castillo's "We Would Like You to Know" poem!

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, I enjoyed a lot of the poems, and I thought it was a super meaningful book, but I'm not the biggest poetry person.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

is good has good charter

[Christina Bagni · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection of poems! Emotional, diverse, deep, and at times hilarious, these poems tugged at my heartstrings. I often laid the book down on my knee after a particularly poignant line to let it soak in. This is a slim book, but not one to swallow whole. Read it slowly. Enjoy it.

My boyfriend and I read this collection together. He read the Spanish-only poems to me and we discussed the differences in translations. If you do not speak Spanish, I suggest reading this with a friend who does, because you will miss out otherwise. It is definitely made for a bilingual reader. That's not to say you can't enjoy it otherwise, but do keep that in mind when you pick it up.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Douglas would brag
about cruising his car
near sidewalks of black children
to point an unloaded gun,
to scare niggers
like crows off a tree
he'd say."

This book was a good read! It was a book written completely out of compiled poems about being bilingual in the US. Very fascinating and I learned a lot!