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Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Hispanic in the United States (Edge Books) | 
 enlarge | Creators: Lori Marie Carlson, Oscar Hijuelos
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $3.51
You Save: $13.44 (79%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 812128
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st ed
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.6
ISBN: 0805031359
Dewey Decimal Number: 811.540809282
EAN: 9780805031355
ASIN: 0805031359
Publication Date: July 15, 1994
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: ex-library book/ we ship daily
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 bilingual poetry July 9, 2006
I love this little book of Spanish and English poems that so well captures the experience of growing up bilingual and / or as an immigrant in the United States. Although that is not my personal experience, I have been an ESL teacher for 25 years, and Spanish is my second language. I have watched many students from a wide variety of first languages and cultures go through experiences similar to those expressed in the poetry. I think this inexpensive book is a great addition to the study of poetry in ESL, bilingual, or literature classes, and can inspire bilingual / bicultural students to express their own feelings and experiences in poetry.
 Spice For All July 31, 2001
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you like mild, medium, or hot there is something for anyone in Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States, and just like nachos, there is a whole lot for everyone. This book is a compilation of first, second, and third-generation Latino writers, and it includes a diversity of writing styles and themes. The combination of the poems captures the essences of Latin rhythms and ways of life in America. Students of all races will relate to different aspects of this book, and two examples of poems that all students should be able to identify with are "Translating Grandfather's House" and "The Aquatic Show." "Translating Grandfather's House" depicts in a semi-sarcastic tone a very common situation. A teacher is looking at a student's sketch, and she tells him that it looks like a house from a Zorro movie instead of a picture of a real house. However, the student says he is drawing the house that his mother was born in and she was born in Mexico. On the finished picture of a Spanish style house in an elaborate natural wild grass setting of his grandfather's town, he titles the picture "GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE." The teacher realizes her error, gives the picture an "A+," and then displays the picture on the "green" blackboard. The teacher-student miscommunication battle is timeless, and the irony or confusion over why green chalkboards are called "blackboards" is classic as well. The "Aquatic Show" is a very charming and funny poem. A kid is talking about singing and sort of dancing in the shower. He explains how much he enjoys this activity. Also, he assumes that the bathroom fixtures, which are his audience, really enjoy it too. He mentions songs from different Latin countries, which is a nice form of cultural exposure for non-Latin Americans. In addition to the poetry, this book has an excellent glossary and an interesting "Biographical Notes" section that gives a brief synopsis of accomplishments for each poet. Furthermore, the "Editor's Note," provides an outstanding description of what the reader should expect from this book, and it gives a great rationale for the writing of this book. The purpose of this book is to inspire the desire in others to learn other languages. Finally, the introduction, written by Oscar Hijuelos, presents a heartfelt, compelling, and poignant picture of what it was like to live in America over 40 years ago as a Latin American. It relays the trials of a life when people were "Hearing one language on the streets, another at home, and a third at school..."(p.xxi), and one where there were no books or attitudes of sympathy for anyone dealing with this issue.
Just as it is named, Cool.... July 3, 2001
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
....This book is really what it says it is, COOL SALSA...it goes in hot yet cooling to the senses, then slides warmly all the way down to the last page! This book in awesome for anyone who is interested in just reading something that isn't Americanized. These poems are true and real, great for children and Adults. Some of the greatest Latin Amertican writers are featured in this book like Sandra Cisneros, Oscar Hijuelos, Ana Castillo, etc. There are many books that I think about and this one is at the TOP of my list for children and adults to read, if you like poetry.
TEACHERS April 19, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Great for offering multicultural poetry to students. Poems are mature and interesting and written in both Spanish and English.
Andres January 3, 2001
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Cool Salsa Edited by Lori M. Carlson is a book that brings Latino culture in America to life. The majority of the poems are both in English and Spanish. However, 5 of the poems are written in English and Spanish both. It is very interesting to see how words in Spanish translate to English and also English to Spanish.The most interesting part about the book is looking at the way the Spanish translates to English. Most of the Spanish lines endings are; -a, -ar, -o,, and -os. In one of the poems the majority of the Spanish words end with -er or -ar but translate to words such as jump, run, and shine in English. Also the rhythm is hard to maintain when the translation of the poems occur. Basically poems turn to stories and stories to poems. "Good Hot Dogs" is a story about how two Latino children go and eat a hot dog every day after school. When the go it is very exciting. It is a cheap way to gather and not wreak havoc. The Latino Culture is not significantly different from American Culture. "Dia de los Muertos" is one of the poems in a language that I like to call Spanglish. This poem discusses the difference between our fear of death and the Latin embrace. The day of the dead is a holiday and is explained in this poem. The most confusing of all the poems is "An Unexpected Conversation". It talks about the relaxing time. A mother and daughter are sitting in the garden. A quote is made to the father and I can not figure out what it means. "Race' Politics" by Luis Rodriguez is a poem that shows the hard ships of Latino American's in our country. It is a story of two brothers who decided to cross the tracks to get the "good food". The two Mexicans were only six and nine when beat up by five American teenagers. This is one of the few poems that shows strong suffering and hardship. "Nothing but Drums" discusses different items that can be used as drums. This poem starts out with a description of conga drums and ends with "oars dropping...into-the-water" drums. Through this poem a person can understand that sometimes when the correct item is not available others can be substituted. And example would be a bucket for a drum. "Solidarity" is the happiest of all the poems. After every line there is an exclamation mark. The people being spoken to are animals, water, and a diamond. The diamond is told to shine just like diamonds do. Some of the authors include Oscar Hijuelos, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros, and Gary Soto. Oscar Hijuelos is the 1st Hispanic Author to win a pulitzer prize for fiction. Ana Castillo and Sandra Cisneros are noted for being "modern american poets". Gary Soto has won many awards and his name can be recognized by most as an author. All 4 were born in the 1950's. Oscar Hijuelos' award winning novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" is about the time of Cuban influence on America. Ana Castillo and Sandra Cisneros are noted for publishing Latin poetry. Gary Soto writes about th lif and the struggles that people go through. All in all I enjoyed Cool Salsa a lot. The poetry contains such descriptions that make it easy to mentally visualize the scenes. The Latino culture can find good in all. A person can not help but feel these poems.
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