Category: Latino culture

Books, Latina writer, Latino children summer reading list, Latino culture, Latino Literature, Literacy, Summer Reads 2013

Summer Reading-Latino Lit Lista

Mona Alvarado Frazier
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The summer solstice is on the horizon and with it the long summer days. Aromas of grilled corn, the juicy taste of fruit popsicles, lounging at the beach or backyard, and a good book have me anticipating the weeks ahead.

The annual “summer reading list,” has been a feature in many magazines, from Latina to Cosmo and Oprah. These books are usually quick read paperbacks that are about ‘lighter’ topics. And they’re all good lists, however I offer you one more:

The 2012-2013 award winning books written by Latina/o authors.

Whether you are Latina/o or not, think about using this lista as an opportunity to explore different themes in the Latina/o experience, discover multi-cultural characters, and peek into other worlds that may be dissimilar to your own, but resonant with universal themes important to all of us.

This list ranges from adventure to suspense:
  1. MISSING IN MACHU PICCHU-Cecilia Velastegui’s. Action/Romance “…four thirty-something professional women embark on (a) hike to help them confront their online dating dependency, only to find themselves victims of a predator’s ruse, and soon in a fight for their very lives.”

  2. THE LOST-Caridad Piñero. Action/Paranormal Romance. “Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carerra wants only peace, (she finds herself) in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight.”
  3. DESPERADO-A MILE HIGH NOIR-Manuel Ramos. Crime novel. “Money, sex and greed…theft of the sacred tilma of our Lady of Guadalupe and drug cartels…”
  4. THE SANDOVAL SISTERS’ SECRET OF OLD BLOOD–Sandra Ramos O’Briant. Historical fiction set in 1800’s. “…sisters are caught in the crosshairs…of the Mexican-American War…from two important fronts-New Mexico and Texas. Their money and ancient knowledge offer some protection, but their lives are changed forever.”
  5. THE OLD MAN’S LOVE STORY-Rudolfo Anaya. Fiction. “The nameless narrator…shares his most intimate thoughts about his wife, their life together, and her death. But just as death is inseparable from life, his wife seems still to be with him. Her memory and words permeate his days.”

  6. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US-Memoir. Reyna Grande. “… a story of a childhood spent torn between two parents and two countries.”
  7. WE THE ANIMALS-Justin Torres. Memoir. “… the chaotic heart of one family, the intense bonds of three brothers, and the mythic effects of this fierce love on the people we must become.”
  8. EVERY LAST SECRET-Mystery. Linda Rodriguez. “…police chief Skeet Bannion(finds herself in a race) against the clock to solve a series of linked murders… before her best friend winds up in jail—or worse.”
  9. HOW FIRE IS A STORY, WAITING-Melinda Palacio. Poetry. “… (she) creates images that are at once heartbreaking and humorous….elemental subjects of family and childhood…and celebrates the women who came before her.
  10. THE SECOND TIME WE MET-Leila Cobo. Fiction. “…a graceful, skillfully woven tale of Rita and the son who comes to find her more than two decades later.”  
  11. MAP OF THE SKY- Felix J. Palma. Sci-Fi. “What if the events of H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds” became true…this is the result.”
  12. MAYA’S NOTEBOOK-Isabelle Allende. Suspense. “… (when her grandfather dies) Maya turns to drugs, alcohol, and petty crime…Lost in a dangerous underworld,…—a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol. (She) escapes to a remote island off the coast of Chile. Here, Maya …embarks on her greatest adventure: the journey into her own soul.”
There’s a book genre for everyone. So far I’ve read five of the 12 books and plan to read five more, maybe squeeze in the whole list. 

If you’re looking for a list of children’s books here’s a link to Latino Childrens Summer Reading List.

If you have any books with multi-cultural characters, settings or storylines, please add them in the comment section. My TBR list is ever growing. 


Happy reading.
Anna Ortiz, Chingonas, Dania Ramirez, Devious Maids, Eva Longoria, Judy Reyes, Latino culture, Latinos in film, Lifetime, Marc Cherry, Rosalyn Sanchez

Five Reasons to Like "Devious Maids"

Mona Alvarado Frazier



A television series with Latina’s in the main roles has stoked some strident controversy. The new Eva Longoria production, Devious Maids, written by Marc Cherry have inspired comments on HuffPost and Twitter ranging from “…a wasted opportunity…” to “sell-out,” and “haters.”  

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Chingaó, (‘damn it’) what a lot of ruido (noise). But, you know, it’s good ruido, healthy. 

I have to admit, that when I first heard of the upcoming program (when ABC was considering it) I immediately thought of the late great Lupe Ontiveros who was often cast as a stereotypical maid, a lá Rosalita in Goonies. Second thought, this better not be another caricature of Latinas. Thirdly, when will film depict Latinas in roles that are multifaceted and realistic for most of us? 

The answer to the third thought: we have to write our own stories and support making these films (like Bless Me Ultima, Cesar Chavez film, and others that were crowd funded). 

But back to Devious Maids (DM). Tonight I found the pilot episode of DM on Lifetime On Demand channel-it debuts on June 23, 2013. I wanted to know what ‘side’ of the triangle I would be on: boycott, embrace, ignore.

Okay, only one way to decide. Watch the show and make up my own mind.

The five maids:

  • Zoila (Judy Reyes-Scrubs) is a caring mother raising a teenaged daughter, (Edy Ganem) Valentina. They both work for Mrs. Delatour  (Susan Lucci), who attempted suicide because her young pool boy amour wouldn’t introduce her to his friends because she’s “…over 40.” Her son, Remi Delatour, moves back in to help his mother. Valentina falls in love with him. “Rich boys don’t marry their maids,” Zoila says.
  • Marisol (Anna Ortiz-Ugly Betty) “…doesn’t have an accent, she sounds like she went to college…has attitude,” whines the new trophy wife Mrs. Stafford. Marisol is assertive, pragmatic, and carries a secret.
  • Carmen (Rosalyn Sanchez-Rush Hour 2) is a “…pretty girl with an agenda,” one titled, “I’m going to be a Superstar.” Confident, self-assured, a little manipulative, she works on staff for Alejandro, a famous Latino singer.
  •  Rosie (Dania Ramirez-Heroes) is a maid and a nanny. She cares for her boss’s baby while missing the young son she left behind in Mexico. She hires an immigration lawyer. Her phone call with her son is especially moving and well-acted.

So far, the women seem like chingona’s, in their workplace and in personality.                                                                               

This is what I liked about Devious Maids (DM’s):   
  1. The premier episode had an intriguing beginning (a murder) sets up the ‘whodunnit’ question. One of the DM’s will investigate the murder.
  2. The DM’s were varied, without falling back on stereotypical Latino cartoony characters. No Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) accents.
  3. Issues of rich vs. poor, prejudice, class distinctions, immigration, sexism, infidelity (I could go on, this is just a taste) are presented.
  4. Their names are other than Maria or Lupe, and there are no exaggerated mannerisms for comic effect.
  5.   There are some very funny scenes along with a couple of poignant moments.

To be fair, I didn’t like a few things either:
  1. The clothes the maids wear to clean house are ones I’d go out for coffee in: nice jeans, wedge sandals, blouse and cardigan.
  2. All of them are skinny, and under 40 (except for Judy Reyes, but she looks -40). Where are the curves?
  3. The maids look homogenous: morena, brunettes, petite. Where are the rubias, the Afro-Cubans, the indias? 
  4.  The maids employers are caricatures: rich, white, (except Alejandro), entitled.
  5. The glamor shots of the maids at the beginning of the show. It’s so 2005, as in Desperate Housewives, and its spawn, Real Housewives of Orange County, Beverly Hills…Do something fresh, get more creative.

I follow a few television series: The Big Bang Theory (I love nerds), Grey’s Anatomy, Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, and Mad Men. They all peek into the lives of people very different from me and my upbringing, but I find their stories fascinating.

I can’t say I’ll be a follower of Devious Maids, I don’t know yet. From this first episode I can say that I’m interested in hearing the stories about the lives of these Latina characters. It will be an episode by episode kind of thing before I can say I’m a fan but I’ll be watching-at least the second episode.