curbstone press u s st paul mn (39 results)

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Wandering Star tells two discrete stories of two young girls, one Jewish and one Palestinian, who meet once briefly by chance. Their stories are connected by substance, rather than plot. Each is a wandering star in search of a homeland - Esther escaping the Nazi holocaust, and Nejma, who experiences the horrors of life in the camps. Yet through this novel of dark times and human suffering, affirmation shines as the characters encounter the beauty of nature and instances of human kindness and love. Author Le Clezio is the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Literature. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Carlos Vazquez (illustrator). Hardcover. Una nina de nueve anos, America Soliz, vive con su familia en el Barrio Pilsen de Chicago. Echa de menos su hogar en Mexico y se siente descontenta en la escuela, donde experimenta el prejuicio contra los inmigrantes mexicanos. America se siente en la fila de atras del salon de clase y se la pasa sonando con su aldea en Oaxaca hasta que un dia un poeta, el Sr. Aponte, visita la clase. "Todos llevamos le poesia por dentro," le dice el Sr. Aponte a la clase e inspira a America a escribir. "Escriban en espanol o en ingles," exhorta el. America escribe cuentos y poemas, aun cuando su padre dice que es una manera poco practica de utilizar el tiempo. Tanto el tio como la madre de America disfrutan los cuentos de la chica, y esta descubre para si lo que el Sr. Aponte ha dicho en clase. "Cuando se usan las palabras para compartir los sentimientos con otra persona se es poeta y los poetas pertenecen a todo el mundo." A traves de la escritura, America se siente "en casa" en el Barrio Pilsen. Set in the Pilsen barrio of Chicago, this children's picture book gives an heartwarming message of hope. The heroine, America, is a primary school student who is unhappy in school until a poet visits the class and inspires the students to express themselves creatively. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Daniel's papa, Marcelo, used to play soccer, dance the cueca, and drive his kids to school in a beat-up green taxi-all while publishing an underground newspaper that exposed Chile's military regime. After papa's arrest in 1980, Daniel's family fled to the United States. Now Daniel has a new life, playing guitar in a rock band and dating Courtney, a minister's daughter. He hopes to become a US citizen as soon as he turns eighteen. When Daniel's father is released and rejoins his family, they see what five years of prison and torture have done to him. Marcelo is partially paralyzed, haunted by nightmares, and bitter about being exiled to "Gringolandia." Daniel worries that Courtney's scheme to start a bilingual human rights newspaper will rake up papa's past and drive him further into alcohol abuse and self-destruction. Daniel dreams of a real father-son relationship, but he may have to give up everything simply to save his papa's life. This powerful coming-of-age story portrays an immigrant teen's struggle to reach his tortured father and find his place in the world. Daniel's "papa," Marcelo, used to play soccer, dance the "cueca," and drive his kids to school in a beat-up green taxi--all while publishing an underground newspaper that exposed Chile's military regime.After "pap""a"'s arrest in 1980, Daniel's family fled to the United States. Now Daniel has a new life, playing guitar in a rock band and dating Courtney, a minister's daughter. He hopes to become a US citizen as soon as he turns eighteen.When Daniel's father is released and rejoins his family, they see what five years of prison and torture have done to him. Marcelo is partially paralyzed, haunted by nightmares, and bitter about being exiled to "Gringolandia." Daniel worries that Courtney's scheme to start a bilingual human rights newspaper will rake up "pap""a"'s past and drive him further into alcohol abuse and self-destruction. Daniel dreams of a real father-son relationship, but he may have to give up everything simply to save his "pap""a"'s life.This powerful coming-of-age story portrays an immigrant teen's struggle to reach his tortured father and find his place in the world. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Trail We Leave received rave reviews in Denmark for its exploration of the lives of exiles in Scandinavia and the difficulty of living between two cultures (with sometimes comic, sometimes tragic results). These stories are told from moments of crisis as the various characters try to assimilate into a new culture-the highly intelligent Chilean schoolgirl who suffers the pressure of achieving in a difficult foreign language, the romantic young man from Bangladesh brought to ruin because he misinterprets the sexual mores of Scandinavia or the Chilean couple whose marriage crumbles under the tensions of exile. In one way or another, we are all exiles, and these stories will appeal to the general reader because of their exploration of the consequences of miscommunication. As Michael Zangenberg wrote in Politiken, Palma "also expands the field to embrace the gap between the sexes, between two national languages and cultures, between life and death, between past and future." "Fine short stories about a human being who is pulled up by the roots and has to try to create new ones."-Niels Lillelund, Jyllands Posten The Trail We Leave received rave reviews in Denmark for its exploration of the lives of exiles in Scandinavia and the difficulty of living between two cultures (with sometimes comic, sometimes tragic results). In one way or another, we are all exiles, and these stories will appeal to the general reader because of their exploration of the consequences of miscommunication. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Tunnel to Canto Grande tells the dramatic story of how the Peruvian Tupac Amuru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) tunneled into an "escape-proof" penitentiary, Canto Grande, to free forty-eight political prisoners on July 9, 1990. The prisoners escaped through the tunnel without a single casualty and eluded the authorities. Because of their world-wide reputation as writers of testimony, the authors, Alegria and Flakoll, were invited by MRTA leaders to write the exclusive story of the escape. At no small risk to their own safety, they spent a week in the most hunted for safe house in Lima, Peru, interviewing the participants in the project and the escapees. The resulting narrative is filled with suspense, drama, and humor. Tunnel to Canto Grande tells the dramatic story of how the Peruvian Tupac Amuru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) tunneled into an "escape proof" penitentiary, Canto Grande, to free forty-eight political prisoners on July 9, 1990. The prisoners escaped through the tunnel without a single casualty and eluded the authorities. Because of their world-wide reputation as writers of testimony, the authors, Alegria and Flakoll, were invited by MRTA leaders to write the exclusive story of the escape. At no small risk to their own safety, they spent a week in the most hunted-for safehouse in Lima, Peru, interviewing the participants in the project and the escapees. The resulting narrative is filled with suspense, drama and humor. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A portrait of the glamorous and energetic world of Havana, Cuba, during the 1920s and 1930s centers around the popular nightspot, the Alhambra Theater, and Rachel, the dazzling star of a troupe of rumberos, rhumba dancers, that performs there. This portrait of the glamorous and energetic world of Havana, Cuba, during the 1920s and 1930s centres around the popular nightspot, the Alhambra Theater, and Rachel, the dazzling star of a troupe of rumberos, rhumba dancers, that performs there. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "What do I feel?" asks the narrator, Nora GarcA-a, as she goes back to a Mexican village she has not visited in years to attend the funeral of her ex-husband, a famous pianist who has died of a massive heart attack. This deeply moving novel is the unspoken answer to Nora's self-questioning. "The heart has reasons that reason knows nothing of," Pascal said, and this aphorism of knowing and not knowing is at the core of the novel. Employing motifs of "the heart," modes of music from the tango to Bach, and allusions to poetry, the text is a rich amalgam that reveals a life lived deep within the culture of the late twentieth century. Like her ex-husband, Nora is a musician, a cellist, and so it is fitting that her novel takes the form of a canon and fugue: phrases circle and repeat, variations are introduced, motifs come and go and intermingle, reflecting a paralysis of the grieving. The novel moves inexorably toward the burial and the revelation of Nora's complex, emotional reaction to Juan's death.Throughout the novel, Nora is moving in the "wake" of that death, being pulled along by the ceremonies of the funeral, the mass, the burial-and her grief and rage, suppressed, never spoken of, is made palpable to the reader through the indirection of memories. Show More For her rich, nuanced evocation of states of mind and emotion, Margo Glantz can stand proudly alongside such modern masters as Virginia Woolf and William Gass. "What do I feel?" asks the narrator, Nora Garcia, as she goes back to a Mexican village she has not visited in years to attend the funeral of her ex-husband, a famous pianist who has died of a massive heart attack. This deeply moving novel is the unspoken answer to Nora's self-questioning. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Color of the Heart gives an eyewitness account of the controversies of the last three decades over feminist, political, and literary issues as only a poet and political activist totally engaged in the events could perceive and write about them--highlighting sexuality, gay liberation, psychoanalysis, and the impact of deconstruction on both politics and art. The Color of the Heart gives an eyewitness account of the controversies of the last three decades over feminist, political, and literary issues as only a poet and political activist totally engaged in the events could perceive and write about them--highlighting sexuality, gay liberation, psychoanalysis, and the impact of deconstruction on both politics and art. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Nine-year-old Eva Hoffman is the daughter of Austrian Jewish refugees who have found a precarious safety among a small community of European exiles attached to a psychoanalytic hospital in Topeka, Kansas. It is 1951, and the landmark school desegregation case, Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, is being tried in the local court. As the rising river inundates the town, the Hoffmans open their home to refugees from the flood, and Evan learns the complexities of prejudice - and courage - both within and outside her family. Nine-year-old Eva Hoffman is the daughter of Austrian Jewish refugees who have found a precarious safety among a small community of European exiles attached to a psychoanalytic hospital in Topeka, Kansas. As the rising river inundates the town, the Hoffmans open their home to refugees from the flood, and Eva learns the complexities of prejudice - and courage - both within and outside her family. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Lyn Miller-Lachmann's novel, Dirt Cheap, is an eco-thriller that will strongly appeal to anyone interested in ecology and the crime novel genre. In this suspenseful novel, Nick Baran, a middle-aged professor, pursues the chemical company that he believes gave him leukemia and contaminated his suburban neighborhood. His wife feels isolated, exhausted and frightened by her husband's obsessive pursuit, and ultimately begins an affair with a powerful local attorney who opposes her husband's efforts. When Sandy (the idealistic teacher of Nick's son) joins Nick's crusade, she allows herself to be drawn into a retaliatory affair and into his messy and tragic life. Told from multiple points of view, Dirt Cheap explores the loss of innocence, the nature of courage, the price of material comforts, the place of faith and community, and the power of the individual to change lives. An eco-thriller that will strongly appeal to anyone interested in ecology and the crime novel genre. In this suspenseful novel, Nick Baran, a middle-aged professor, pursues the chemical company that he believes gave him leukemia and contaminated his suburban neighbourhood. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Green Fires is the story of Annie Saunders, a disillusioned Kennedy-era Peace Corps volunteer, returning to Ecuador, hoping to come to terms with her traumatic experiences there. What she finds instead is a menacing and mysterious trail which she determinedly follows - ever deeper into the jungle - uncovering a sinister secret of international dimensions. The story of Annie Saunders, a disillusioned Kennedy-era Peace Corps volunteer, returning to Ecuador, hoping to come to terms with her traumatic experiences there. What she finds instead is a menacing and mysterious trail which she determinedly follows - ever deeper into the jungle - uncovering a sinister secret of international dimensions. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. This authoritative account of the matanza narrates the circumstances leading up to the 1932 communist revolt in El Salvador, a pivotal event in Central American history. It investigates the proximate and underlying causes of the conflict and follows the progression of the rebellion and subsequent slaughter (matanza) of thousands of peasants, even those merely suspected of participating in the uprising. It provides a vivid, detailed chronicle of the revolt in various Salvadoran towns as well as the social aspects, battles, military engagements, and innumerable casualties. In light of the scarcity of first-hand information and primary sources, Anderson makes remarkable use of interviews and oral histories to develop this invaluable and searing record of injustice. A comprehensive history of the 1932 slaughter in El Salvador. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Centralia Dead March is a documentary novel based on the struggle of a radical union to establish better working conditions and solidarity among lumbermen, miners, railroad and migrant workers during the early part of this century. Wesley Everest, Ray Becker, Bert and O.C. Bland, Loren Roberts and Eugene Barnett lived and worked around Centralia, Washington and were active in the Wobblies, the International Workers of the World. Because of its doctrine of worker unity, its stand against racist hiring practices and its call for militant tactics, the I.W.W., the most feared union among the ruling classes, was subject to massive arrests and numerous court actions. When the I.W.W. led the northwester woods out on strike during the First World War because wages had dropped while production increased, they were branded "traitors" in the local papers. On November 11, 1919, during the first Armistice parade, a mob of Centralia "patriots" raided the union hall.In the conflict, three soldiers were shot by workers defending their property; Everest was beaten, castrated, and hanged from a bridge; and seven workers - including Becker, the Blands, Roberts, and Barnett - were sentenced to from 25 to 40 years. Centralia Dead March recreates these historical events and examines the long-term consequences of the violence and repression. A documentary novel based on the struggle of a radical union to establish better working conditions and solidarity among lumbermen, miners, railroad and migrant workers during the early part of the twentieth century. Centralia Dead March recreates historical events and examines the long-term consequences of the violence and repression. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Woman I Left Behind is a poetically written novel about a turbulent love affair between a young American woman and a Palestinian refugee. When Irene, an intelligent, committed and discerning student meets Khalid, a Palestinian refugee now living in Southern California, she immediately knows that this man would cause her both immense pain and immense joy. Coming from two separate worlds that are at odds with each other, both Irene and Khalid have to overcome their cultural differences. Irene comes to realize that she has to break free from her parents' norms and values and lead a more meaningful life-a life not guided by superficialities but by a sense of commitment and purpose. After opening her eyes not only to the psychological wounds Khalid suffered during his experiences of war, deportation, and exile, but also to her own childhood wounds, Irene abandons her detached self, ultimately leading to a reconciliation with Khalid.With its detailed depictions of modern Palestinian history, as well as its cast of colorful characters-from Palestinian feminists to American cyberpunks-Kim Jensen's novel reiterates the vital connections between politics, the imagination, and the most intimate aspects of our lives The Woman I Left Behind tells the story of the love between a Palestinian exile and a young American woman, exploring the difficulties of intercultural relationships and providing a rare glimpse into Palestinian history and culture. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. America's Child is the story of the journey of a child of first-generation immigrant parents from a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia to the mythic avenues of 1940s Hollywood, through the transformative years of Berkeley, to the avant-garde art world of New York, to a Cuban movie theater filled with Vietnamese students and the turbulence of the sixties.Susan Sherman's journey, during a period in which the world was in ferment and large sections of the population were engaged in active self-examination and agitating for social change, is one of discovery and introspection.From the cultural renaissance of the late 1950s, through the sexual revolution, to political activism that starts with world issues and ends with struggles around sexism and homophobia, America's Child is simultaneously cultural history, social discourse, and a deeply personal narrative. America's Child is the story of the journey of a child of first-generation immigrant parents from a working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia to the mythic avenues of 1940s Hollywood, through the transformative years of Berkeley, to the avant-garde art world of New York, to a Cuban movie theater filled with Vietnamese students and the turbulence of the sixties. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Soy la Avon Lady and Other Stories, is a stunning debut collection of short stories that explore identity issues in the Latino community. The cast of characters in her stories include a young boy-impelled by his guilt over failing to prevent his parents' divorce-who seeks to save an abandoned baby, an elderly man attempting to invoke his dead wife by regularly donning her clothing and make-up, a former National Guardsman whose failed attempts to connect with his family do not prevent him from trying, and a young woman determined to give birth to her murdered lover's child. In the title story, an aging Avon representative, who is often mistaken for a transvestite, has become so estranged from the Spanish language she spoke as a child that she no longer remembers that she spoke it or what happened in her childhood. Many of the characters in these stories must negotiate differences in race, culture, language, class, and gender in attempts to discover who they are and where they are going.Lopez's vivid characters struggle both to find a place of belonging and companions who can accept them, as well as self-forgiveness for the compromises they made in living necessarily bifurcated lives as they attempt to breech the gap between cultures. A stunning debut collection of short stories that explore identity issues in the Latino community. Lopez's vivid characters struggle both to find a place of belonging and companions who can accept them, as well as self-forgiveness for the compromises they made in living necessarily bifurcated lives as they attempt to breech the gap between cultures. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "In 1991, troops sent to Iraq for the first Gulf War returned home with a litany of physical, neurological, and psychological symptoms that collectively became known as Gulf War syndrome. Eisenberg bravely sheds light on the resultant devastation suffered by one small group of friends and their families.In a story that is, sadly, as pertinent as it is ageless, Eisenberg poignantly demonstrates that casualties of war occur both on and off the battlefield and ironically illustrates the vivid consequences when those in charge of veterans' postwar care fail to meaningfully 'support our troops'"--Booklist When You Come Home is both a timeless love story and a timely political novel set in the year after the 1991 Gulf War. In the Gulf sands, surrounded by death and danger, marine reservist Anthony Bravo has thought only of Lily, the feisty orphan raised in his home, and when he comes home, their childhood affection flames into passionate love. Both have lost fathers to the Vietnam War, but now, safe and settled, they rejoice that war and loss are behind them at last. Or, so it seems. Soon Tony's best friend, a career marine, suffers fevers and strange symptoms .Blending war and politics with a human story, When You Come Home takes up a topic rare in American fiction, the First Gulf War and Gulf War syndrome, the disabling illness that followed a third of the troops home. Blending war and politics with a human story, When You Come Home takes up a topic rare in American fiction, the First Gulf War and Gulf War syndrome, the disabling illness that followed a third of the troops home. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Love You Promised Me is the 6th recipient of the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize, awarded annually at the Guadalajara International Book Fair for a work of fiction by a woman writer in the Spanish language. Marcela, the heroine of the novel, is a modern, professional woman in her forties sifting through her disappointment after a brief but intense, extra-marital affair. As the novel opens, Marcela is in the town of San Lazaro, the home town of her forebears, not only to pick up the pieces of her life, but also to discover the secret past of her parents. Set in Mexico in 1994, Mexico's last elections, the Mayan insurrection in Chiapas, and the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio serve not only as backdrop, but they also parallel the emotional vicissitudes in Marcela's own life. Marcela, the heroine of this novel, is a modern, professional woman in her forties sifting through her disappointment after a brief but intense, extra-marital affair. As the novel opens, Marcela is in the town of San Lazaro, the home town of her forebears, not only to pick up the pieces of her life, but also to discover the secret past of her parents. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. TESTIMONY: DEATH OF A GUATEMALAN VILLAGE is an eyewitness account by a Guatemalan primary school teacher detailing one instance of violent conflict between the indigenous Maya people and the army. An accidental clash between the village's "civil patrol" and a Guatemalan army troop leads to the execution or imprisonment of many villagers. Written in clear, direct prose, this account reads like an adventure story while conveying an historical reality. This vital and essential record captures how Guatemala's 36-year civil war, which reached its most violent peak in the 1980s, ripped the traditional fabric of Guatemalan society. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Winner of the 2002 Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize This story of love and revolution takes place during the Argentine struggle for independence (1810-1820) and focuses on the character of the national hero, Manuel Belgrano. Belgrano's story is told through the voices of the real heroes of the novel-Maria Kumba a mulatto healer-priestess, fighter, and nurse to the common soldiers; and Gregorio Rivas, mestizo son of a well-to-do Spanish businessman. Sky of Drums (Cielo de tambores) is filled with political and personal intrigue. At the core of the novel is the issue of racial discrimination. Belgrano is blinded to the love Mariahas for him and the good counsel she has to offer because of his contempt for blacks. His open contempt for Rivas as a mestizo leads to his death. Rivas becomes Maria's lover but is always haunted by Maria's evident adoration of Belgrano. The manner in which the love-hate triangle plays out is filled with surprises and cuts to the heart of Argentina's troubled identity. This story of love and revolution takes place during the Argentine struggle for independence (18101820) and focuses on the character of the national hero, Manuel Belgrano. However, Belgrano's story is told through the voices of the real heroes of the novel-Mara Kumb, a mulatto healer-priestess, fighter, and nurse to the common soldiers; and Gregorio Rivas, mestizo son of a well-to-do Spanish businessman. Sky of Drums is filled with political and personal intrigue. At the core of the novel is the issue of racial discrimination. Belgrano is blinded to the love Mara has for him and the good counsel she has to offer because of his contempt for blacks. His open contempt for Rivas as a mestizo leads to his death. Rivas becomes Mara's lover but is always haunted by Mara's evident adoration of Belgrano. The manner in which the love-hate triangle plays out is filled with surprises and cuts to the heart of Argentina's troubled identity. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Central to Wayne Karlin's novel Prisoners is the story of Kiet, a runaway teenage orphan from Vietnam who is seeking her Black father and whose flight impinges upon the lives of several other characters, many of them Vietnam War veterans. The drama of the interlinking stories illuminates the "seepage of history" and examines the "crimes of war and family and skin" in the Tidewater region in Maryland. Karlin unpeels their histories like an onion, layer after layer, until the violent climax, and a denouement that offers understanding, hope, and reconciliation. Central to Wayne Karlin's novel Prisoners is the story of Kiet, a runaway teenage orphan from Vietnam who is seeking her Black father and whose flight impinges upon the lives of several other characters, many of them Vietnam War veterans. The drama of the interlinking stories illuminates the seepage of history and examines the crimes of war and family and skin. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Winner of the 3rd Annual Miguel Marmol Prize from Curbstone Press, Mary Helen Lagasse's The Fifth Sun is an inspiring story of an immigrant who struggles valiantly for a better life for herself and her family. The young Mexican woman, Mercedes, leaves her village to work as a housemaid in New Orleans. This fast-paced novel takes her through her adventures in New Orleans, her marriage, her struggle to raise her children, her deportation, and her attempt to re-cross the river and be reunited with her children. Winner of the 3rd Annual Miguel Mrmol Prize from Curbstone Press, Mary Helen Lagasse's "The Fifth Sun" is an inspiring story of an immigrant who struggles valiantly for a better life for herself and her family. The young Mexican woman, Mercedes, leaves her village to work as a housemaid in New Orleans. This fast-paced novel takes her through her adventures in New Orleans, her marriage, her struggle to raise her children, her -deportation, and her attempt to re-cross the river and be reunited with her children. "Mary Helen Lagasse has woven a tapestry of many colors in her novel about Mercedes, the Mexican girl whose life is like a blood-red thread that weaves its way through the intricate design representing an early 20th century Mexican-American experience. Her story presents us with a panoramic view of the life of a Mexican woman who is both typical in her acceptance of a life of hardship, betrayal and poverty, yet also truly extraordinary in her passionate defense of her vision of a different future for her children in the United States. From her determination to not merely exist, allowing herself to be carried by the currents of El Destino, but to live fully, and to create a home for her family out of the meager resources in her environment, Mercedes is a trooper, a proto-feminist. Her journey is the hero's journey-the path to enlightenment, and with each hurdle she encounters increasing her self-knowledge and strength of character. . . . This is a story about the great border crossing into knowledge. Mercedes must find her guides and accept the trials put in her path, and come through a better person, a stronger woman, in the end."-Judith Ortiz Cofer Mary Helen Lagasselives in New Orleans. Her stories have appeared in numerous periodicals. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Brown Glass Windows is the story of the Evermans, an African-American family in the Filmore District of San Francisco and the tragic history of their son, Ranger, who returns scarred from his experiences in Vietnam and struggles with drug addiction. Ironically, when he finally conquers his drug habit, he is killed meaninglessly in a drive-by shooting. Ranger's death causes the family, with its suppressed recriminations and accumulated resentments, to pass through the crisis and come out on the other side of grief stronger and more united. The novel is also a kind of elegy to the old Filmore District. As Ranger says, they've redeveloped the neighborhood "into a little doorway to hell," a comment that will resonate deeply with readers not only in San Francisco, but in Hartford, L.A. and other urban centers throughout the country, where people have lost their once closely-knit neighborhoods either through urban decay or gentrification, or both. Brown Glass Windows is a beautifully structured book employing techniques of magical realism-a grittily realistic narrative framed by the spirit world.The novel is narrated by a spirit of a woman 200 years old, who watches over her elderly Black friend, Victoria. Victoria, a wonderfully eccentric character, who paints herself white and strives to be invisible, plays an important role in the healing of the Everman family. devorah major, an accomplished poet, invests her novel's landscape and characters with layers of meaning without ever obfuscating the realistic surface narrative (one is reminded of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison). Brown Glass Windows gives us a rich blend of realism and imagination, elegizing the passing of an era and presenting vibrant characters who move into the future with hope and courage. Tells the story of the Evermans, an African-American family in the Filmore District of San Francisco and the tragic history of their son, Ranger. Devorah Major, an accomplished poet, invests her novel's landscape and characters with layers of meaning without ever obfuscating the realistic surface narrative. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Leon, Nicaragua, 1907. During a tribute he delivers during his triumphal return to his native city, Ruben Dario writes on the fan of a little girl one of his most famous poems, "Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea." In 1956 in a cafe in Leon, a group of literati gather, dedicated, among other things, to the rigorous reconstruction of the legend surrounding Dario-but also to conspire. There will be an attempt against dictator Somoza's life, and that little girl with the fan a half-century before will not be a disinterested party. In Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea, Sergio Ramirez encompasses, in a complete metaphor of reality and legend, the entire history of his country. The narrative moves along paths fifty years apart, which inevitably converge. The story becomes a fascinating exercise on the power of memory, on the influence of the past, fictitious or not, in the finality of reality. In Margarita, How Beautiful the Sea, Sergio Ramirez encompasses, in a complete metaphor of reality and legend, the entire history of his country. The narrative moves along paths fifty years apart, which inevitably converge. The story becomes a fascinating exercise on the power of memory, on the influence of the past, fictitious or not, in the finality of reality. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Set in '80s Guatemala, this suspenseful spy story succeeds as a thriller, as a love story, and as an indictment of human rights violations in that troubled country. Tom Wright is a CIA agent who has been sent to Guatemala to rescue Mr. Gray, an Australian banker who has allegedly been abducted by the EGP, a guerilla organization. Wright must work with the Guatemalan government to achieve his objective, but he must also survive a personal conflict, in the form of Sandra Herrera, the first love of his life, who has married into one of Guatemala's most powerful and wealthy families. When she drops into his life again, he loses his equilibrium and exposes himself to a host of dangers. A mysterious woman with murky motives and multiple connections (to the oligarchy, to the military Set in '80s Guatemala, this suspenseful spy story succeeds as a thriller, as a love story, and as an indictment of human rights violations in that troubled country. Tom Wright is a CIA agent who has been sent to Guatemala to rescue Mr. Gray, an Australian banker who has allegedly been abducted by the EGP, a guerilla organization. Wright must work with the Guatemalan government to achieve his objective, but he must also survive a personal conflict, in the form of Sandra Herrera, the first love of his life, who has married into one of Guatemala's most powerful and wealthy families. When she drops into his life again, he loses his equilibrium and exposes himself to a host of dangers. A mysterious woman with murky motives and multiple connections (to the oligarchy, to the military, to the EGP, to the international drug trade, and to Wright himself), Sandra Herrera comes to embody the impenetrable contradictions of Guatemalan politics and society. Arturo Arias is director of Latin American studies at the University of Redlands. Co-writer for the screenplay for the film "El Norte" (1984), his most recent novel in English is titled "After the Bombs" (Curbstone Press, 1990). Author of six novels in Spanish-"Despues de las bombas" (1979), "Itzam Na" (1981), "Jaguar en Llamas" (1989), "Los Caminos de Paxil" (1991) "Cascabel" (1998), and "Sopa de Caracol" (2002)-he is also widely known for his literary criticism. Translator Sen Higgins was born in New York in 1961 and has traveled extensively in Latin America. He has translated many works of Latin American literature for magazines and anthologies in the U.S. Currently he is a bilingual resource teacher at Grant Elementary School in the SanJose Unified School District. Translator Jill Robbins is an associate professor of contemporary Spanish literature and culture at the University of California-Irvine. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Marble Mountain reads like a detective story as the protagonist, Kiet Hallam, an adopted daughter of African American and Vietnamese descent, searches for her true identity. Set in both America and Vietnam, and written from the perspective of both Americans and Vietnamese affected by the war, Marble Mountain explores the lasting damages of war to the soldiers who fought on both sides, to their families, and to the displaced and wounded children born during their parents' conflict. Kiet and her adoptive father, Alex Hallam-a Vietnam veteran working out his own tormented past through his passion for sculpting-travel to Vietnam. There, at Marble Mountain, a formation near Danang that is famous for its stone carvers and cave shrines, both will find the unresolved secrets of the past that connected them to each other even before Kiet was born. Set in both America and Vietnam, and written from the perspective of both Americans and Vietnamese affected by the war, Marble Mountain explores the lasting damages of war to the soldiers who fought on both sides, to their families, and to the displaced and wounded children born during their parents' conflict. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Once Upon a Cuento is an anthology of short stories by contemporary Latinx authors. The stories, written for young people, grade five and up, explore heritage and history, identity, language, and relationships from the perspective of Mexican-American, Cuban-American, Dominican-American, and Puerto Rican writers. In all, the collection features seventeen stories by well-known and emerging writers, most of which are original to this collection. Contributors include acclaimed Puerto Rican children's authors Nicholasa Mohr and Carmen T. Bernier-Grand; Cuban-American novelist, essayist, and poet Virgil Suarez; and Mexican-American short story writers and teachers Lorraine Lopez and Sergio Troncoso.The stories are grouped by theme--heritage, holidays, and contemporary culture; family life; friends and other relationships; and dealing with differences. Individual stories explore additional themes such as the challenge of making do with little money, the process of moving to a new country and learning English, and young people's relationships to animals and to the natural world. Each story contains an introduction that offers historical, cultural, and biographical information. A general introduction and list of works by the thirteen contributors offer further avenues for research and discussion. "Once Upon a Cuento" is an anthology of short stories by contemporary Latina/o authors. The stories, written for young people, grade five and up, explore heritage and -history, identity, language, and relationships from the perspective of Mexican-American, Cuban-American, Dominican-American, and Puerto Rican writers. In all, the collection features seventeen stories by well-known and emerging writers, most of which are original to this collection. Contributors include acclaimed Puerto Rican children's authors Nicholasa Mohr and Carmen T. Bernier-Grand; Cuban-American novelist, essayist, and poet Virgil Surez; and Mexican-American short story writers and teachers Lorraine Lpez and Sergio Troncoso. The stories are grouped by theme-heritage, holidays, and contemporary culture; family life; friends and other relationships; and dealing with differences. Individual stories explore additional themes such as the challenge of making do with little money, the process of moving to a new country and learning English, and young people's relationships to animals and to the natural world. Each story contains an introduction that offers historical, cultural, and biographical information. A general introduction and list of works by the thirteen contributors offer further avenues for research and discussion. Lyn Miller-Lachmann is the editor-in-chief of "MultiCultural Review" and the author of the award-winning reference work "Our Family, Our Friends, Our World: An Annotated Guide to Significant Books for Children and Teenagers," Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "This is Nobel-quality writing, an international author with a mature style telling a story to the peak of his capacity. The English language needs more of it."-The Telegraph From the winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Literature, Wandering Star is the story of two young women, one uprooted by the Holocaust and the other by the founding of the state of Israel. Bearing witness to the boundless strength of the spirit, and based on his own experience as a child in World War II, J.M.G. Le Clezio chronicles the saga of a young girl, Esther, who, in a small mountain village north of Nice occupied by Italian forces, learns what it means to be Jewish in wartime Europe. A quiet young teenager, she suffers the loss of her beloved father and, with her mother, is forced to flee advancing German troops. At war's end, Esther and her mother make an arduous journey to Jerusalem, where their path crosses with a group of displaced refugees, including Nejma, a Palestinian girl whose story of life in the camps balances Esther's own tale of suffering and survival. Esther and Nejma never meet again, but in their respective exiles, they are forever haunted by the memory of one another.Wandering Star is a powerful coming-of-age story and, as Le Figaro notes, truly "a luminous lesson in humanity." Tells the stories of two young girls, one Jewish and one Palestinian, who meet once briefly by chance. Their stories are connected by substance, rather than plot. Each is a wandering star in search of a homeland, Esther escaping the Nazi Holocaust, and Nejma, a Palestinian refugee. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.