Module 14: Cool Salsa

Book Summary

This anthology, Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States, begins with an editor’s note by Lori N. Carlson who describes how she became passionate about studying and writing about Latin American literature and her hopes for this anthology—that it will, essentially, help increase understanding of Latinos’ experiences in the United States and increase language study. Following the editor’s note is an introduction by Oscar Hijuelos, who describes his personal experience of growing up in the United States as a child of Cuban immigrants, and also as a Cuban with the look of an Irishman. He further describes the panic, uneasiness, and confusion of growing up in a family of immigrant parents, of having a mother learning English while he also did, of having a father who literally worked himself to death, of so frequently having a sense of “second classness” (p. xvi).

Poems follow the introduction and are separated by subject: “school days,” “home and homeland,” “memories,” “hard times,” “time to party,” and “promising future.” The poems feel like they have a logical order, ending with a sense of hope and optimism for the future. The poems represent all aspects of growing up Latino. Some poems are simple and joyful, like the one about “Good Hot Dogs” by Sandra Cisneros on page 10. And some poems describe challenges and hardship, like “A Puerto Rican Girl’s Sentimental Education” by Johanna Vega on page 12 and “‘Race’ Politics” by Luis J. Rodriquez on pages 60-62. Some poems compare Latin culture with culture in the United States, like “Dia de los muertos”  by Abelardo B. Delgado on pages 30-31. Some relive historical events, like “My Memories of the Nicaraguan Revolution” by Eugenio Alberto Cano Correa on page 38. Most poems throughout the book are also offered in two versions: English and then Spanish. But some are best told in Spanish and so are only represented in the book in that language. There is also a glossary at the end of the book to translate some of the Spanish into English, and there are biographical notes to give some background information about the various poets featured in the anthology.

APA Reference of Book

Carlson, L. M. (ed.). (1994). Cool salsa: Bilingual poems on growing up Latin 

          in the United States. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Impressions

I enjoyed reading the editor’s note and the introduction, which both prepared me for the mood of the poems and situated me towards this anthology so that I understood its purpose before jumping in. However, I was a little thrown off by the writing style of the introduction by Oscar Hijuelos. I really enjoyed the content of what he said, but his writing style was quite choppy, and it lacked much flow. He included so many commas and interjections, packing multiple ideas and references in one sentence, that I sometimes had to read sentences a couple of times to understand what he was saying. I greatly appreciated, however, his willingness to share his personal experience of being bilingual and growing up in the United States as a child of Cuban immigrants, which served as an appropriate introduction to an anthology of bilingual poems about being Latino in the U.S.

The poetry itself is really beautiful and artistic, and it is for the most part very accessible to teens and young adults—although some poems may not be fully understood. They display wonderful rhythm and musicality. A lot of the poetry also successfully depicts strong, detailed, memorable images, like the poem “Pig Roast” by Sandra M. Castillo on pages 22-23, which includes specific details about the setting, the characters, clothes, and more within the poem. In this poem, a scene is effectively developed and created in a way that the reader can see and also experience it for him or herself. The poetry throughout this anthology also effectively introduces readers to dynamic and multidimensional Latin experiences that are not stereotypical. The poetry educates readers about differences between Latin culture and culture in the United Stated, like the poem “Dia de los muertos” by Abelardo B. Delgado on pages 30-31, which describes the contrast between the way Mexican people view the dead and the way people in the United States view the dead.

Some of the poems in this anthology are presented in English with some words still in Spanish, which I think works well to help develop the mood and setting of the poem for the reader, who can better imagine what experiences sound and feel like with the inclusion of these Spanish words. I think this is also a great way to introduce English-speaking readers to foreign words. Someone who is learning Spanish could greatly benefit from this anthology by reading poems first in Spanish and attempting to translate them into English. The reader can then check the English version or the glossary for accuracy.

One poem that stood out to me was “The Changeling” by Judith Ortiz Cofer on page 36, which describes the experience of being a young girl vying for her father’s attention. The young girl had to dress up like a masculine soldier in order to get him to look up and pay attention. But when called to the dinner table, her mother forced her to take off the costume, to feel invisible again. Even though I am not Latina, I can still understand what she is feeling. The poems in this anthology serve as a reminder that although we have cultural differences that give us unique experiences, there are still many feelings can be universal. We are all different and the same simultaneously.

Professional Review

The following was stated in a review from Kirkus Reviews (1994):

The founder of the bilingual children's magazine Azul offers a collection of poetry by Gary Soto, Oscar Hijuelos (who also contributes an introduction) and other contemporary Latino writers from both the edges and the heartland of our country. Most, but not all, of the poems were written in English first; they appear here in the original, and also in translations: sometimes literal, sometimes free, sometimes by the poet, generally by another. Gathered by theme--``School Days,'' ``Hard Times,'' ``Time To Party,'' etc.--they express a wide range of experience and feeling in direct ways, from Gina ValdÇs's ironic ``English con Salsa'' (``Welcome to ESL 100, English Surely Latinized'') or Pat Mora's ``Mango Juice'' (``Eating mangoes/on a stick/is laughing/as gold juice/slides down/your chin...'') to Luis J. Rodr°guez's account of being beaten upon venturing into a white neighborhood to buy groceries (`` `Race' Politics''). Six of the poems here are truly bilingual, mixing languages in intriguing ways. In ``Why Do Men Wear Earrings on One Ear?'' Trinidad Sanchez Jr. exclaims: ``Sepa yo!/Maybe por costumbre, maybe porque es la moda/or they have made promesas...because la chica selling them was sooooo mamacita...'' Carlson assumes that most of her readers will be more comfortable in English; the English version of each poem comes first, and Spanish phrases are translated (``Sepa yo: How should I know?'') in an appended glossary. Poetry with a distinct flavor: a skillfully mixed appetizer for After Aztlan: Latino Poets of the Nineties (1992) and other larger collections. (para. 1)

According to a review from Publishers Weekly (1994):

As hot as jalapenos and as cool as jazz, this collection serves up ``ingles con chile'' and Spanish that ``you feel in the blood of your soul.'' Lyrical, traditional poems share space with street-smart free verse, and works by the likes of Sandra Cisneros and Gary Soto are juxtaposed with entries from lesser-knowns. Illustrating the ``beat and pulse'' of generations of U.S. writers of Latin American heritage, the poems are presented both in the original and in translation; poems making use of both languages are easily accessible to English-only readers by virtue of an appended glossary of Spanish terms. In his introduction, Hijuelos ( The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love ) focuses on the ``unrelenting, unending sense of second classness'' that his parents experienced as Cuban emigrants and explains how this ``sense'' affected his uses of English and Spanish. The political agenda is not hidden, but the potency of the volume lies in Carlson's eclectic selection of voices--her volume approximates what one poet here calls ``a Mixtec chant that touches la tierra and the heavens.'' (para. 1)

Library Uses

I think this book could be well-utilized in a Spanish class for middle or high school students. Teens can read the poetry in Spanish to practice the language, utilizing the glossary to learn unknown words. A teacher or librarian could also follow a reading of this anthology (or readings of certain poems) with a lesson about Latin culture and/or a discussion about the unique experiences of Latinos growing up in the United States. This book could also be used as an introduction to a poetry unity in a literature class. A teacher can read a selection of poems aloud, and then the students can talk about whether they like them or not. Afterwards, the students can write their own free verse poems. In a public library setting, the title of this book could be placed on several recommended book lists, including one with poetry for teens and one with multicultural titles.

References

[Review of the book Cool salsa: Bilingual poems on growing up Latino in the 

          United States, edited by L. M. Carlson]. (1994, July 4). Publishers Weekly.  

          Retrieved from www.publishersweekly.com

[Review of the book Cool salsa: Bilingual poems on growing up Latino in the 

          United States, edited by L. M. Carlson]. (1994, July 15). Kirkus Reviews.  

          Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com