Module 9: Cool Salsa

Summary. This poetry anthology is subtitled: "Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States." Poets cited have family connections to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Taken as a whole, the collection tries to paint a broad picture of life in the Latino community. There are poems depicting school, home, hard times, party times, memories and the future. Many of the poems depict the difficulties of life with brown skin, of language barriers, of gangs that seek only violence, and of families that have various success with staying united in an unwelcoming society. Some are purely happy, excited, loving, and free, but the majority show angst and fear about what life is going to bring. The focus is on issues of importance to teens, such as romantic love, identity, and family.

Citation. Carlson, Lori M., ed. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States. New York: Henry Holt, 1994. Print.

My Impressions. As a gringa, I feel Cool Salsa did a good job of helping me to see life through the eyes of someone whose ancestors', parents', or personal journey originated in a Spanish-speaking country. There is a heavy accent on what Oscar Hijuelos (author of the book's Introduction) calls "second classness" associated with being Latino, but perhaps this is warranted. Editor Lori Carlson has provided translations so each poem can be enjoyed in either Spanish or English; she did some of the translation work herself and used translations by the poem's author or other Latinos where available. There are poems here by the big names in Latino YA writing: Gary Soto, Pat Mora, and Sandra Cisneros, for example. Carlson also amply represents lesser-known and unknown poets. For the five poems that were originally written in both languages, the readers' aids in the back of the book include a glossary of Spanish words. I was unable to verify the reviews this collection has gotten from the Latino community, although it was on a list of recommended books by REFORMA, an ALA group.

Library Uses. I would love to see Latino teens in our city read two or three of these poems aloud and comment on the content of the poem and its relation to their lives. This could either be included in a multicultural "poetry slam" at the library, or just an opportunity for many teens to share their poetry regardless of ethnicity. Boise is a very white city, and we easily overlook the difficulties of minority groups, so I would favor the multicultural approach. If we were to focus particularly on Latino culture, we could have not only poetry, but music, food and traditional dancing: a real fiesta!

Awards. American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; American Library Association Quick Picks for Young Adults; Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Commended, Poetry; NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies; Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Award; Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year.

Reviews. (School Library Journal) Gr 8-12-Whether discussing the immigrant's frustration at not being able to speak English, the violence suffered both within and outside of the ethnic community, the familiar adolescent desire to belong, or celebrating the simple joys of life, these fine poems are incisive and photographic in their depiction of a moment. Some of the poets are well-known, others are not, but all contribute to the whole. The Spanish translations capture the sense of the English so well that without the translator's byline one would be hard pressed to discern the original language. The same is true for those few poems translated from Spanish to English. This is a must for multicultural collections, and excellent enrichment material for literature courses.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

(Publisher Weekly) 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.'' Ages 12-up. (July)