Jessica Sánchez

Platinum

barbara — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

One thing to know about Platinum is that it’s about women in the hip-hop industry—several types of women. To narrow it down, there are four voices compiling the novel, each one narrating a different perspective of the industry, each one fulfilling a particular role. There’s the rapper’s devoted wife who turns a blind eye and tolerates STDs due to his infidelities. We have the powerful mogul who has everything in life (including a koi pond in her home) but only longs for a child. There’s also a hip-hop diva whose retirement at thirty throws everyone by surprise. Lastly, we have the woman supposed to be our heroine, a music journalist involved in a secret engagement to an up-and-coming hip-hop artist. Yet for every heroine there’s a villain and in this case the villain is Cleo, a promiscuous woman who has slept with almost every man in the hip-hop world, including the men involved with each woman mentioned above. The catch? Cleo is writing a tell-all book about her affairs. As she describes in the introduction to her own book, Cleo separates herself from all the “other women”:

“Being with me is an honor. I’m not a commoner. And contrary to popular belief, I don’t have sex with everyone. If you’ve been with me, you’ve achieved something. I’m a benchmark. Like going platinum.”

Platinum gives great insight to the hip-hop world. It describes a tense atmosphere filled with social climbing schemes from four different perspectives. As entertaining as these intertwining plots are, however, the pace is slow and the individual stories an ounce too overdramatic. One problem is that although there are several women, they all sound exactly like one voice. Whether deliberate or not there’s still a feeling of stagnation with all the story lines. All of the women suffer due to their relationships, men being their common woe. Even if they deal with their issues differently, it all narrows down to infidelity and their power to forgive.

With so much drama and so many characters it would be easy to get caught up in the pace. However, it’s difficult to really care about any of the individual women. Cleo in particular appears one-dimensional: she’s a woman who has pride and joy in wreaking chaos and devastation, yet as readers we never see why since there’s no background to her story and we don’t know why she takes so much joy in inflicting pain. Although she claims to never have been molested or had a troublesome youth it seems unrealistic that a well-adjusted woman would invest all her energy using her sexuality to humiliate women in particular. This is problematic as she catapults the whole novel.

As a whole, Platinum is entertaining in the sense that it describes an exclusive world, the hip-hop world explicitly. This novel is the type of book to read at the beach or during a very long plane ride, almost like a bad (but entertaining) movie that you will never think of or pick up again.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, December 9th 2010

Toe to Toe

brittany — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Directed by Emily Abt

Strand Releasing

Toe to Toe was part of the official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. The story is simple: Jesse and Tosha are both lacrosse players at a Washington, D.C. prep school and although they seem predestined to be rivals, they become the best of friends. Each girl is completely different from each other. Jesse (Louisa Krause) is the wealthy yet lonely and promiscuous daughter of detached parents with Daddy issues. Tosha (Sonequa Martin) is the minority with a background of financial hardship but driven by her ambition of acquiring an Ivy League education on a full scholarship.

At first glance, the film could appear forced and stereotypical; unfortunately, that’s exactly what it turns out to be. There’s enough teenage drama to fill the entire four years of high school. Jesse and Tosha are faced with issues regarding STDs, harassment, racial conflicts, and everything in between. Add to that the dramatic suspense of being part of an athletic team and you have the basis for the movie. There’s a heavy use of socio-economic clichés and an especially artificial climax that almost obscures everything else about the movie.

At other times, though, the protagonists’ acting chops shine through and the movie becomes enjoyable. Both performances are well balanced. Krause manages to portray a promiscuous but self-aware character while Martin has enough poise and restraint to make her character vulnerable and relatable.

The movie’s setting is also quite enjoyable; the scenes outside the prep school and in the actual city are lively and more realistic. This is due to the fact that they were shot with local musical talent. The protagonists seem to feed from the city’s energy and only magnified their charisma and talent.

Yet, in a movie that seems so contrived it doesn’t seem enough to carry it through. Toe to Toe didn’t surpass being bland.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, October 1st 2010

Thief

alicia — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0000

By Maureen Gibbon

Sarah Crichton Books

“This night I was trying to describe what my orgasms were like, but I doubted if what I wanted to say would sound compelling to anyone but me...” explains Suzanne, before writing a letter to a convicted rapist who is serving his sentence in prison and whom she has established a relationship with.

Maureen Gibbon’s Thief is the story of Suzanne, a complex woman trying to make sense of her own rape, while exploring her own sexuality. Gibbon creates a multi-layered character, an average woman with a troubled past who lives a secluded life and for the most part, likes to have superficial relationships, without letting anyone into her life.

What’s most riveting about this short novel is the style in which Gibbon lets the reader into the very private life of Suzanne. Thief is a short novel, and the reader might be compelled to read it in one sitting. Each chapter is an intimate view of Suzanne’s thoughts, the kind of thoughts that are rarely discussed, especially because they seem fleeting and extremely personal. The protagonist describes her innermost sexual thoughts and experiences, from masturbation to her fantasies and even to her attack. It is at this point that there is a sense of voyeurism, a bond with what goes through Suzanne’s head. Gibbon allows the reader into the deepest secrets of Suzanne and there’s an understanding of her feelings of shame and guilt, an understanding that Suzanne herself is lacking.

Thief is written in a raw style and yet it doesn’t appear vulgar or cliché; instead, it’s a direct look into a woman’s thoughts and the path she explores to understand own self. The novel is well written and engaging; the story of a woman who, through sexual acceptance, reaches another level of self-discovery.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, September 22nd 2010

Cook the Books

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Jessica Conant-Park, Susan Conant

Berkley Publishing Group

Cook the Books is part of a series of mystery books (Gourmet Girl Mysteries) by mother-daughter writing team Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant.

Chloe is a graduate student in her mid twenties, who lives by herself and has a passion for food. She has an incredibly gorgeous best friend named Adrianna, who is married to a goofy but honest and lovable free-spirited (broke) man named Owen. They have a delightful little bundle of joy named Patrick, who happens to melt Chloe’s heart so much that she overspends and ends up in debt because she just can’t resist buying him all the expensive toys and clothes she sets her eyes on; he’s that adorable. Then there’s Josh, her ex-boyfriend, a chef, who left a year before for a better job in Hawaii and left her behind.

Did you get all this? If you didn’t it’s okay because once you start reading the novel, this will be retold in pretty much every chapter. Do you want to know what else is constantly repeated? The word “Josh.” It comes up in every other sentence. Of course there’s more to the novel: there’s murder, there’s cooking, and there’s a villain (or many?). More importantly, at the end Josh returns to make everything alright (because he’s perfect). But don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled the end; you can guess that one by the end of the fourth chapter.

The story itself is pretty bland but its biggest sin is mainly that it’s not very relatable. Chloe is supposed to be young, bright and independent, and yet she appears to be everything but. Why am I supposed to care about this character? She has no true interests other than her godson, the lives of other cooks and her ex-boyfriend. It probably doesn’t help that the novel is written with a significant amount of dialogue, which, for the most part, is heavily contrived. For example, Chloe’s employer, a serious man in his mid-thirties has just met new mommy Adrianna and all three of them are sitting down for dinner, his treat:

“And Adrianna,“ he said to my friend, “you especially should eat a lot, since you probably have no time to eat while taking care of a tiny baby, huh?”

This was not meant to be funny, or sarcastic (or creepy) but rather to portray what a great guy Chloe’s employer is! The entire novel is written in this type of dialogue, which aside from being annoyingly predictable, becomes overly repetitive.

Cook the Books is filled with bad cliches and references. The murder that sets motion to the core of the storyline leads to Chloe’s view to the “dark” side of cooking, the cutthroat competitive world of chefs. It’s in fact the same world described by so many other chefs, except that in this case, it’s overly dramatic.

The book cover includes a review blurb promising "snappy dialogue, puzzling murder and mouthwatering menus," which I guess is what fueled my disappointment, as I did believe it. In contrast to other mystery novels that portray unlikely heroines, Cook the Books didn’t hit the mark, It has no sparkle and the heroine lacks a sense of self and definition. It was difficult to really care. It could have been light, fun reading, if only it had been half as long. If I was to recommend the book, it I would assume pre-teens might not mind it, but I don’t know how memorable it would be.

There are some recipes added at the end of the book, which only adds to my confusion as to who the target group for this book is supposed to be. The recipes are courtesy of other authors and chefs. Some are easy enough to follow and make (the Baked Tomato Nests), and some (like the Grilled Ohio Lamb Steak) are meant for the serious cooks who strives to entertain. The Baked Tomato Nests are a cute and fast idea, and in fact, the recipe jumped out at me from one of the actual chapters of the novel, so there was a nice connection there. However, overall the recipes were not very innovative, and in a way, that echoes my overall impression of the book.

To put it simply: it didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth, it needed spice (cayenne, Habanero, or even just plain old pepper)—it was just too bland.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, May 27th 2010

Aggressively Humble

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Chll Pll

Porter Records

Just like the spelling of their name, Chll Pll is complex yet simple. Apparently the two musicians that form Chll Pll are quite the musical social butterflies, as they have collaborated with a bunch of other musicians. This an indication that they are a talented duo, but it didn’t prepare me for their unique sound on Aggressively Humble, a title that had a tight grip on me from the beginning.

So, of course, I grabbed my iPod, put my little white ear buds in and wait. When I listen to Aggressively Humble, I get everything: there's an urge to dance and an urge to just listen. I feel happy, then I get contemplative—all in the span of a couple of songs. I get noise, out of control and rich noise. I laid down on my couch and took in every note, every odd, experimental arrangement. The album is not polished by any means; listen to it on your headphones too loudly and it will actually hurt your brain. Yet this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

To put it in simple terms: some of the songs are oddly different, but in a great way. The sound is futuristic and, in some instances, a bit on the heavy side, but it never leans towards metal. The tempo is energetic, but not necessarily cheery or sappy. It's upbeat chill, just like their name indicates. This album is energetic down to the vocals, and I can’t help continually to emphasizing the experimental aspect of the album. Musically, vocally, and conceptually, Chll Pll create an amalgam of contradictory sounds. Listen while lounging around in your house or entertaining complex artsy ideas in your head.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, March 14th 2010

Fig Trees

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Directed by John Greyson

V Tape

It’s hard to explain Fig Trees. It’s an opera yet it's also a documentary. There’s an albino squirrel and a nun. It scrutinizes the critical circumstances of the AIDS epidemic, from the 1980s to the present day, and points out, with sharp observations, the irony of consumer-driven AIDS campaigns. The main issues addressed are the ineffectiveness of governments and the greediness of pharmaceutical companies, but popular culture is not completely innocent either.

In Fig Trees, director John Greyson documents the story of South African AIDS activist, Zackie Achmat. Greyson portrays Achman as thoughtful, creative, and most of all, brave. He went on a treatment strike and refused to take his medication because he didn’t believe it was right that he could buy life while other, less affluent people couldn’t. This is where the opera, squirrel and nun come into play; they are a fragment of the visual puzzle Greyson creates.

The way in which all of the ingredients are put together to create such poignant commentary about HIV is interesting. Fig Trees is theatrical and complex—a bit too complex for my taste. For the most part, I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Fig Trees is subtitled, but instead of making things easier to understand, it made them even more nonsensical. This was especially true when the screen was split into two, each side giving different sets of subtitles.

This doesn't mean that the film wasn't enjoyable. On the contrary, there were some “Aha!” moments that gave me great pleasure and other moments that made me think more deeply about the issues. This prompting of contemplation is always a good thing.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, March 11th 2010

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Naree

After listening to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, I did some background checking on the artist Naree. How could I not when the album is named after a famous novel? I felt it was more than likely that some sort of duality in Naree’s life or work would emerge: a yin to a yang, a left to a right, two sides holding a vertebrae. What I discovered is the tale of a young woman who has miraculously overcome a medically challenged past, a young woman who at twenty-two has already survived ovarian cancer, a woman who had a fourteen pound tumor removed, and a woman who survived a heart attack and multiple operations. One of her parts didn’t change: her soul. What I heard was perhaps a different side of the story.

Naree has an excellent voice. It’s not overly saccharine; instead, it is melodic but not overworked, and she doesn’t have to try very hard in order to convey her feelings through song. Naree seems to have that ideal “it” quality and more importantly, she has a relatable element to her, meaning that you can sing along and actually believe you’re singing along. (Naree being the better singer of the two.)

In Naree, I hear an optimistic and honest voice. I hear an album filled with strong pop/rock songs that can be catchy at times and memorable at others. Take the song “Life’s Lessons,” an empowering song, a tune that speaks of not settling, of having what you expect and more importantly what you want. In essence, it’s an female power anthem.

All of the lyrics and feelings are beautifully coherent. Naree’s optimistic perspective and tendency towards human nature are reflected in the lyrics. Not all of the songs have the same feeling. “A Song Written On An Arm” has a more delicate and vulnerable aspect to it. It’s mainly about a lover wanting to walk away from the relationship, but being unable to. These emotional conflicts are the essence of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

The album is musically interesting and has great potential. Yet the musicality needs to catch up to the depth of the lyrics, which at first sight seem light and fluffy. I wouldn’t call this a life changing album, but with an extra push, Naree could be amazing.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, January 17th 2010

Cooking Dirty: A Story of Life, Sex, Love and Death in the Kitchen

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000

By Jason Sheehan

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

My initial reaction after reading this book was to hurl it across the room and never see it again. Dramatic? A bit, yet justifiable. In an autobiographical narration, Jason Sheehan attempts to merge his experience as a cook with being a writer, but fails miserably.

Cooking Dirty is not your average tale of a typical award-winning chef. There’s no culinary school or classical training involved, just the lessons he learned from the School of Hard Knocks. For a book that promises sex, love, and death in its title, it actually offers very little of any. Instead, Sheehan fills over 350 pages with unremarkable tales told with what can only be described as a teenage angst bravado.

My main problem with Cooking Dirty is that it offers nothing innovative. Anthony Bourdain is already known for his irreverent tales of behind-the-scenes action and Sheehan’s book seems to be a mere (bad) copy of Bourdain, and at one point, Sheehan even alludes to this as true. Regardless, the shameless imitation could have been forgotten if only Sheehan added something new to the plate.

About three-quarters of Cooking Dirty is dedicated to building up the “pirate of the kitchen” persona Bourdain has already well established. Sheehan includes himself in this group of rebels: violent, tough, junkies, and (for the most part) men. The problem is that his love for the wild life did not seem to balance with his passion for cooking. Sure, there are mentions of his love for the culinary arts, but there are so few and the ones that exist lack detail and appear unconvincing.

The entire book isn't simply boasting and stereotypical male bravado, Sheehan's writing is filled with enough self-deprecation, comic lightheartedness, and sarcasm that can, at times, be amusing. For the most part, however, it is incredibly repetitive and obnoxious. Sheehan attempts to draw the reader in with rhetorical questions and meditative remarks, but Cooking Dirty lacks the intimacy necessary for a reader/author dialogue to be achieved. Instead, Sheehan comes across as a (self-proclaimed) know-it-all and rule-breaker. Even when describing hitting rock bottom, vulnerability is missing; the macho persona Sheehan constructs throughout the book does not allow room for it, and he works very hard to convince the reader that he didn’t really care.

The last quarter of Cooking Dirty is the only section that is salvageable. Sheehan narrates what paved the road to becoming a food writer, and in the last chapters he finally reaches that goal. He goes into his recent writings, including the ones that won him a James Beard Award, and it is here that we glimpse the passion for food. Too little too late? Possibly.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, October 28th 2009

Boy Crazy: Coming Out Erotica

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:13:00 +0000

Edited by Richard Labonté

Cleis Press

Boy Crazy is a series of firsts: first coming out of the closet experiences, first feelings of sexual awakening, first realizations of “otherness,” first times falling in love... the list goes on and on. In a series of otherwise unrelated stories, multiple authors tell the tales of coming out and first encounters, all from the perspective of boys, of young homosexuals' way of perceiving the world. It’s not complicated, as Richard Labonté writes in his introduction, “Those are the stories of those boys, and the boys who are crazy about them.”

There are seventeen different stories in Boy Crazy, told by seventeen different voices. The title can be a bit misleading, as it can be assumed that all of the stories are of sexual nature, but that is not the case. Some of the tales are about the innocent discovery of love, the moment in which the boy realizes he loves other boys—and they love him. Other tales are about the excitement brought on by the first sexual encounters, at times told in fun detail. Regardless, the stories deal with reciprocated feelings and for the most part are entertaining to read.

A very interesting element to Boy Crazy is how each author brings a different portrayal to life. Depending on the tone and mood, the story can be comical, or provocative or at times even a bit darker in mood or outlook. The writing styles vary greatly, in one story we are in the world of a young boy and his pearl clutching grandmother and in the next story a college freshman sits around a coffee shop checking his laptop and texting his roommate that he won’t be home. The multiplicity of authors brings a fun perspective, but it does not mean that there won’t be similarities.

For the most part, the stories either revolve around or have elements based on the idea of a young unpopular boy who lusts after his sister’s boyfriend and eventually has his first sexual encounter with him. At times it can be repetitive, varying only in location. After all this is a compilation of stories about the same subject. However, there are other stories, such as “Sundelin,” in which a new type of awakening is discovered and it has nothing to do with a sibling, or with anything in general, but only leaves the reader wanting more (like the main character).

Boy Crazy is a fun book to read. At times it’s provocative, and it can be sweet. It can be a light read, but also has enough good writing to be taken seriously.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, October 27th 2009

100 Girls on Cheap Paper: Drawings by Tina Berning

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:55:00 +0000

By Tina Berning

Chronicle Books

100 Girls on Cheap Paper is, to put it simply, a beautiful collection of illustrations featuring women. As the title explains it, there are 100 different images. What the title does not explain, however, is the expressiveness found in each page. The artist, Tina Berning, creates lovely drawings in various media—watercolors, acrylics, ink, tempera—each mixture revealing a unique woman—the paper a mere platform, a second skin.

Tina Berning’s illustrations are accompanied by an intriguing introduction by Claudia Seidel, which makes the experience even richer. Flipping through the pages, it can be noted that 100 Girls on Cheap Paper is a mixture of fine art and fashion. Delicately drawn eyes peer enchantingly from portraits; seductive nudes draw attention to the simple beauty of the girls, the colors in the pages blend naturally, only to be transformed by the deliberate strokes used to create the image of what seems deliberately and effortlessly feminine.

Take one of the girls. Her head and neck are formed by thick strokes of paint along with fine lines that create her delicate features and expressive eyes. The thickness of black paint delineates the shadow that forms her hair and heavy eyelids. She has no body, she doesn’t need it, her neck and shoulders are mere support for her face, a face controlled by dominating eyes peering at the viewer. This particular girl is not framed by much color: the paleness of the paper, the dark strokes of black paint, her light blushing cheeks and a rich green light adorning the right side of her face are enough to convey one of the 100 expressive women Berning depicts. This is the creative agility with which Berning fills her book.

Other than noting the richness in color used, it is mesmerizing to find the pages filled with the faces of women staring back, their eyes narrating an individual story. Perhaps this making 100 Girls on Cheap Paper so enchanting and provocative; the fact is, as static as the paper the project is drawn on, Tina Berning creates a femininity that radiates with life on it.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, October 22nd 2009

Good Dick

admin — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Directed by Marianna Palka

Present Pictures

Good Dick is not porn—in fact, it’s a love story. You could call it a romantic comedy, but by “romantic comedy” I mean the polar opposite; there’s not much romance and its comedy leans more towards the dark side. Yet the central theme is certainly a romantic one. Written, directed, and produced by Marianna Palka, who also stars in it, Good Dick proves to be a fascinating and complex cinematic work.

The romantic couple is a pair of odd characters drawn together by movies. Both remain nameless throughout the movie. “The girl” is severely introverted; she lives a lonely life of seclusion and rejects all types social interaction. “The boy” is a video clerk with a history of addiction behind him; he’s also homeless, and living in his car. Somehow he sees through her uncanny exterior and manages to get close to her, starting their odd relationship. She rejects the emotional support he offers, verbally abuses him and refuses to have a physical relationship with him, yet his persistence does not falter, even when it appears that it should.

Although Good Dick is not a pornographic movie, there’s plenty of explicit talk from the characters, and it is ultimately by watching porn together that the couple bonds. The movie is about everything but pornography, and it merely gives way for the complex levels of their relationship to unwrap. These are not likeable characters; both are damaged individuals, and although it is not clear where their affections surge from, the chemistry lingering between is enough to not question it. Some scenes lend themselves to awkwardness, content wise, yet they are appropriate to explain the characters backgrounds.

“The girl” whose character’s development was the main focus of the relationship comes with terms of her past in order to face her present (“the boy”). Good Dick is not a movie about sex; companionship is what holds the core of it. At the end, it is fascinating to see how Marianna Palka uses pornography to create an honest story that yields to an unconventionally romantic one.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, May 24th 2009

Gaudi (1987 Expanded Restoration)

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:26:00 +0000

By The Alan Parsons Project

Legacy Recordings

The Alan Parsons Project music can be defined as mainly rock. They create concept albums revolving around different ideas or people, such as Edgar Allan Poe, and for this particular concept album Antonio Gaudi served as the inspiration. Gaudi was a Spanish modernist architect whose buildings still stand as monuments of his genius. Among his very impressive work is La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona, which is considered his masterpiece even though it remains unfinished. Several musicians and singers contribute to the Project’s vision. It is for a very specific audience as the music varies.

This project was originally released in 1987 and you can definitely tell. It’s filled with power rock ballads, and not the timeless type of power rock. Traditionally, The Alan Parson’s Project has several artists contribute to the albums, not the album as a whole but to individual songs. The Gaudi project is no exception. This amalgam of talent can prove divisive and incoherent yet at the same time it works. As a whole the album does have too many styles but if taken individually, the songs are good within their own right.

The Gaudi project can be described mainly as power rock. Some tracks are instrumental but what’s consistent is the intensity that keeps building. The lyrics are a bit obvious, sticking to the main theme, Gaudi and his work La Sagrada Familia. In fact, the album begins and ends with an eight-minute instrumental track by the same title. None of them really seem to capture the magnitude and complexity of Gaudi’s work. The last song “Paseo de gracia” is perhaps the only one that obviously reflects their inspiration. It features an acoustic Spanish flamenco style that is reminiscent of their inspiration while remaining conceptual. As for the other tracks, they are all very different and the lyrics seem to take the idea in a more liberal sense.

The Alan Parsons Project’s Gaudi is an album that established fans probably will truly enjoy, but it might be a bit difficult for those not familiar to understand.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, May 18th 2009

Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina

admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:08:00 +0000

By Rosie Molinary

Seal Press

Hijas Americanas is a book that discusses the issues that Latinas raised in the United States face. It’s an extensive analysis of cultural differences and the different ways in which they assimilate, while still incorporating the values and traditions ingrained by family. Rosie Molinary conducted an extensive survey (which she includes at the end of the book) and based her book both on her findings and on her experiences growing up. While the concept is extremely interesting, the style of writing is rather repetitive, and the actual reading can get tedious. Molinary recounts the experiences of the women surveyed and, while at first it’s entertaining, it becomes predictable and redundant: “Thalia a twenty-seven-year-old Chicana…”, “Gloria, the forty-year-old Puerto Rican who grew up in …” eventually it reads more like a study written for a college class than a comment on biculturalism.

While the book covers several topics, from sexuality and stereotypes to religion and how being Latin affects them, I couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t necessarily a cultural issue. Dealing with how others perceive us, finding our independence from our parents and discovering our sexualities, these are issues that we all have to deal with. The stories relayed in _Hijas Americanas _are exclusive of the Latin culture, yet if you interchange cultures and anecdotes, you could very much be reading about any group of people. I did enjoy the few bits in which Molinary discusses her personal experiences; it is in these instances that the book displays a frankness that is captivating and playful. She shares with all sincerity the story of a woman finding her identity, and that is something women of all cultures can relate to.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, August 13th 2007

The Curse of the Holy Pail

admin — Tue, 22 May 2007 13:23:00 +0000

By Sue Ann Jaffarian

Midnight Books

When I first laid my hands on this book, I really didn’t know what to think. I’d never heard of this series before, the only thing I did know was that it was a mystery novel. Before reading it, I studied the book’s cover and found myself smiling; it was the outline of a thick woman in casual garb, not the typical "attractive" silhouette squeezed in a curve-hugging, tailored suit that I was expecting. I guess that was my first clue this book would not be what I expected.

For a moment I pondered if I should have read the first book before reading this one. After a couple of pages, I completely forgot that this was the second of a series; Jaffarian introduced the reader to her heroine’s past adventure with ease and without repeating the whole first book. In fact, the small tidbits she did mention seemed less of an integral part of this book, and more to merely to acquaint protagonist, Odelia Grey, and the reader. By the end of the first chapter, I felt like I already knew Odelia.

Odelia Grey is not portrayed as your average heroine. She’s a short, middle-aged, fat paralegal who dislikes her boss. She’s also a smart, confident and independent gal who loves her friends, Thin Mints, and her cat Seamus. She has had bad relationships, and she has had good relationships. Her current relationship is with an intelligent wheelchair-bound hottie ten years her junior who not only worships her, he also understands her. Odelia Grey is an interesting and smart character; she’s portrayed as a real person, not in black and white, but with all of the shades in between. The fact that Odelia knows she’s heavy, but doesn’t obsess with it is quite honestly extremely refreshing.

The entire book is confident and charming; Jaffarian keeps the pace going without dropping the ball at any point. She inserts quirky little habits here and there, which make you like and relate to Odelia more, like the fact that she freezes her Girl Scout Cookies and eats them sparingly so they’ll last all year, or the fact that she gets herself in trouble even when she doesn’t mean to. The book involves a murder and the mysterious disappearance of a rare and expensive lunch box, which Odelia ends up solving.

The Curse of the Holy Pail is a light piece of fiction; it’s smartly written and yet it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Jaffarian fills her pages with all types of characters: fat, thin, handicapped, black, white, Latino, even dwarfs. Yet, she doesn’t put them in stereotypes, each one of them exists in her or his own world with her or his own reasons. Odelia Grey carries the book with confident strides and a no-nonsense attitude that’s sure to take you for a fun ride.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, May 22nd 2007

Ecstasy and the Demon: The Dances of Mary Wigman

admin — Tue, 08 May 2007 00:06:00 +0000

By Susan Manning

University Of Minnesota Press

Through her extensive research, Susan Manning is able to paint a portrait of the person that Mary Wigman was. Her career was based on her development of a unique style of movement which became a strong influence of American modern dance. Mary Wigman refused to conform to the standard norms of dance, she didn’t rely on elaborate costumes and lightning; at times she wouldn’t use music either. She stripped the theatrics from her performances, leaving only her body and face to transmit her message. She shunned the notion of femininity and masculinity in dancing and instead strived for movement and the body’s relation to space.

Her solo performances were powerful exhibits of nonconformity and uniqueness. All of this resulted in the creation of a dancing style truly unique which has transcended throughout time. Both loved and hated by members of the dance community alike, her definition of dance has remained alive in the form of controversy. Some see her as genius, others as a degenerate. One thing that can be agreed on, however, is how different her corporal style was.

In her book, Ecstasy and the Demon: The Dances of Mary Wigman, Susan Manning presents us with her extensive research of Wigman, illustrating the type of intense and driven woman that she was. Manning begins by taking the reader from the early years of Wigman’s life, details her career from beginning to end and discusses the impact she has had on future generations, bringing the effect of Mary Wigman full circle. Her research is as extensive as it is compelling, and she exhibits it as transparent as possible, giving the reader an opportunity to make their own observations as opposed to instilling her own opinion of Wigman. Although at times the text can get rather scholarly and intricate, this a book that can be a great asset to the academic community, dance aficionados and those who just want to read about an interesting woman who decided to follow her own rules and how she has impacted the dance world.

Written by: Jessica Sánchez, May 7th 2007