January Reviews of the Latest Spanish-Language Books for Adults, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Also in Translation
Edited by Aida Bardales Jan 19, 2011
FICTION
Mafia Blanca.
(White Mafia)
Lapidus, Jens.
tr. by María Sierra & Martin Simonson. Mexico/U.S.: Suma de Letras: Santillana (Trilogia Negra de Estocolmo II). 2010. 655p. ISBN 9786071105899. pap. $24.99. THRILLER
This second title in Lapidus's "Stockholm Noir" trilogy continues the story of Jorge, Mrado, and JW, the three criminals who inhabit the dangerous Swedish criminal world. The underworld becomes more dangerous than ever, with three new antiheroes on the scene: Mahmud, who is forced to work for Yugoslavian mobster Radovan on release from prison; Niklas, who has just returned from Iraq; and Thomas, a corrupt policeman. The sudden murder of Swiss prime minister brings all three men together in a world of violence, narcotics, and the mafia. Intense, brutal, and full of rich and realistic detail, this novel is as gripping as the first and reads well as a stand-alone. While the staccato, slangy dialog takes some getting used to, footnotes help explain some elusive references. And, though the characters are not exactly sympathetic, Lapidus is skilled in making us care about their destiny. A criminal defense lawyer, Lapidus is a good follow up for fans of Stieg Larsson. Recommended for crime fiction collections and large pubic libraries.-Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder
Tan cerca de la vida.
(Almost Alive)
Roncagliolo, Santiago.
Spain/U.S.: Alfaguara: Santillana. 2010. 328p. ISBN 9788420406336. pap. $19.99. SCIENCE FICTION
Roncagliolo's latest novel reads like a dream-or a nightmare. Max arrives in Tokyo, a setting that only augments his feelings of strangeness and isolation, to participate in a conference on artificial intelligence. Almost immediately, he starts to suffer from terrifying hallucinations that produce a sense of horror within the novel. His logistics work for Corporación Géminis does not endear him to conference attendees, and his lack of Japanese forces him to rely on his PDA for company-that is, until he meets a kindred spirit, a mute woman named Mai. There is something odd about the whole situation that cannot be fully attributed to the cultural gulf between East and West. The book has segments written in third, second, and first person that will give book groups ammunition for meaty discussions about the narrator's identity. While Roncagliolo's exploration of the boundaries of life and humanity will hold no surprises for fans of the movie Blade Runner, this popular author's new novel is recommended for large public libraries and general bookstores.-Sara Martínez, Hispanic Resource Ctr. Coordinator, Tulsa City-Cty. Lib. Syst.
Escuela de sueños.
(School of Dreams)
Stridsberg, Sara.
tr. by Carmen Montes Cano. Spain: 451 Editores. 2010. 366p. ISBN 9788496822948. pap. $30.95. FICTION
Was Valerie Solanas, the controversial writer who shot Andy Warhol in 1968, a brilliant feminist or a schizophrenic man hater? Stridsberg's fictionalized biography of Solanas melds fantasy and fact in a searing, poetic study of a bright yet troubled visionary whose character has inspired plays, pop music, and films. Using the night of Solanas's solitary death in a squalid San Francisco hotel as a powerful framing device, Stridsberg weaves excerpts from Solanas's scathing SCUM Manifesto with second-person narrative and imaginary conversations between Solanas; her mother, Dorothy; Warhol; and various actual and invented people, including the author herself. What emerges is an intelligent meditation on the turbulent 1960s and the emerging women's movement. Stridsberg, who won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for the novel, at times takes her poetic license to the extreme, placing a fictionalized desert town in the state of Georgia. Nevertheless, the excellent translation captures Stridsberg's evocative prose, which renders immaterial the riddle of whether Solanas was a visionary or a lunatic. Highly recommended for popular libraries and bookstores.-Pamela Corante, Los Angeles
Las heridas de los elefantes.
(The Elephants' Wounds)
Tomás-Valiente, Miguel.
Spain: 451 Editores. 2010. 180p. ISBN 9788492891061. pap. $23.95. FICTION
The charmed life of Tomás Sahuquillo, a successful 40ish restaurateur, is suddenly altered when he finds by his door a book with an anonymous note, signed by an unknown person with the initials M.M.P. The mysterious book, divided into three parts-"Past," "Present," and "Future"-reveals that the writer knows intimate details about Tomás's life. For example, M.M.P. claims to have videotaped him making love to his long-time girlfriend, Silvia, and to have seen a picture of him and his father that he carries in his wallet. Understandably, this information greatly unsettles the protagonist, who questions whether this is a game, a joke, or even a hallucination and begins reexamining his unimaginative life. In the section titled "Future," the writer identifies herself by name and includes an invitation to Tomás to share an exciting and loving life together, placing responsibility for this decision in Tomás's hands. Tomás ponders the possibility of abandoning all in exchange for a peaceful life in the countryside, questions his relationship to Silvia, and copes with his guilt for having abandoned a lifelong friend, Manuel, who was diagnosed with a serious illness. This work possesses elements of a detective novel, but it is more complex than that. Recommended for academic libraries, as well as bookstores.-Liliana Wendorff, Queens Univ. of Charlotte Library
El sueño del celta.
(The Dream of the Celt)
Vargas Llosa, Mario.
Spain/U.S.: Alfaguara: Santillana. 464p. ISBN 9781616052461. pap. $19.99. FICTION
On August 3, 1916, Irish revolutionary Roger Casement was hanged for treason after being caught trying to run guns from Germany to Ireland. The son of a Protestant, Casement was actually a British consul who was working in Africa for commercial interests in the service of the crown. The abuses he investigated in the Congo deeply affected him, as did the abuses of Indians extracting rubber in the Putomayo, on the Peruvian border with Colombia. His keen understanding of colonialism led him to expose and denounce its crimes, and he became a separatist rebel. Nobel laureate Vargas Llosa begins Casement fictionalized biography in a prison cell, where in 1916 he hoped to receive a pardon, only to learn from his legal team that Scotland Yard had discovered his alleged diaries. The diaries, which have never been definitively confirmed to be Casement's, had damning evidence against him, as well as detailed accounts of homosexual affairs, which at the time were used to discredit and smear him. Vargas Llosa's vivid language and exquisite storytelling grabs readers and brings them into that cramped cell and indeed straight into Casement's racing mind as he wonders what will become of him. He paints a tangible, three-dimensional portrait of Casement-a man disgraced, utterly defeated, and ultimately executed-on a raw and realistic canvas devoid of hope. In presenting such an honest and faithful account of this fallen man, Vargas Llosa returns to him his dignity. Strongly recommended for academic and public libraries, as well as scholars and literature and history students.-Vivian Gómez, Woodside, NY
El Mañana.
(Tomorrow)
Valenzuela, Luisa.
Mexico/U.S.: Fondo de Cultura Económica. 2010. 429p. ISBN 9786071602848. pap. $23.95. FICTION
This novel pays homage to Juana Azurduy, a woman who in the 19th century, and against all odds, commanded a battalion and fought against Spain for the independence of what is now Bolivia. The novel is partially narrated by Elisa Algarañaz, who, along with 17 other female writers has been put under house arrest. (The exact reason for their arrest is unknown, but it has to do with their books. During her house arrest, Elisa tries to write the story of the writers' capture, but every week someone deletes all the files in her computer. One day, Ómer, a long-lost friend from Israel, is able to break into her house. Ómer and Esteban, an Argentinean computer hacker, have a plan to free the writers. While they work out the plan, Ómer encourages Elisa to write about Juana Azurduy, whom Elisa had been researching for years. And so unfold the stories of these two women fighting for freedom. Though she must change her whole identity, the writer escapes, a liberating experience that frees her to investigate the treason for her arrest. Valenzuela uses rich and poetic language to explore the themes of solitude, freedom, the art of writing, and the female nature, and the narrator's reflections about the creative process provide insight into Valenzuela's own attitude toward writing. The pace of the novel, however, is a bit slow. Recommended for all bookstores and libraries with literary collections.-María Elena Cruz, Boston
NONFICTION
En sus palabras.
(In His Words)
Saramago, José
Gómez Aguilera, Fernando, ed.
Spain/U.S.: Alfaguara: Santillana. 2010. 532p. ISBN 9786071106773. pap. $24.99. ESSAYS
This compilation of interview excerpts offers a panoramic, if patchy, view of the late Nobel Prize winner José Saramago's thoughts. Organized in thematic chapters-autobiography, literature, politics-the quotes usually don't take longer than half a page and are sometimes short aphorisms (e.g., "The future of the future is in the South"). The musings about his own work offer some insight on the role of the narrator/author and the scant use of punctuation in his novels. Also, his memories of his poor upbringing in the town of Azinhaga, his beginnings as a journalist and aspiring writer in Lisboa, and his love story-late in life-with his wife Pilar del Río, are engaging and heartfelt. But, as it was the norm in Saramago's public life until his death last year, his morals and politics take up most of the space. He describes himself as "religiously atheistic" and a "hormonal Communist." He both decries U.S. and Israel's foreign policy and discusses his public break up with Cuba's regime in 2003. He also describes at length his love-hate relationship with his native Portugal and encourages its integration with Spain and Latin America. Although the book does not contain previously unpublished material and is at times repetitive and sanctimonious, this is definitely a trove for Saramago's fans. Recommended for public libraries and general bookstores.-Carlos Rodríguez Martorell, East Elmhurst, NY
¡Basta de historias! La obsesión latinoamericana con el pasado y las doce claves del futuro.
(Enough with the Stories!: The Latin American Obsession with the Past and the Twelve Keys to the Future)
Oppenheimer, Andrés.
U.S.: Vintage Español: Random House. 2010. 422p. ISBN 9780307743510. pap. $15. CURRENT EVENTS
In this insightful and engaging new book, Oppenheimer, a columnist for the Miami Herald, expresses concern for Latin America's current state of affairs. It was reported that during this year's bicentennial 43 percent of the populace was unaware of its significance, a sobering reminder of a persistent challenge endemic to the region: the lack of education. Indeed, the need to reform Latin America's educational system, Oppenheimer reckons, should be a no-brainer. Yet, the Great Recession of 2008-with its emphasis on fiscal austerity-has caused the issue of education to fall by the wayside. Written with a journalist's eye for detail and knack for clarity, Oppenheimer's work never just skims the surface; it goes in deep, providing case studies of the educational systems of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile (both their achievements and shortcomings come under inspection) and interviews with some 200 informants, including Bill Gates, President Barack Obama, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. Oppenheimer's proposed 12-point plan-conceived over the course of five years during which he traveled to China, India, Singapore, Finland, and Switzerland to study these countries' variegated and innovative approaches to education-seems sensible enough, in certain areas, to warrant serious consideration. What's more, the publication of this work is especially timely, coming as it does during a moment of great economic uncertainty, when government cutbacks in education seem imminent. This proposal for a reinvestment in the region's educational system will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to Latin American policy makers. Recommended for students of Latin America and Latin American current affairs collections.-Michael Sosa, Brooklyn, NY
Diez leyes irrefutables para la destrucción y la restauración económica.
(Ten Irrefutable Laws of Financial Doom and Restoration)
Panasiuk, Andrés.
U.S.: Grupo Nelson: Thomas Nelson. 2010. 219p. ISBN 9781602554160. pap. $12.99. SELF-HELP/FINANCE
One of the Latino world's most popular financial experts, best-selling author Panasiuk integrates the teaching of financial principles with his Christian beliefs and ministry. His outreach to the Latino community through his Financial Freedom Tours in both the United States and Latin America consistently draw large audiences. Here, he helps readers learn basic techniques for eliminating debt and living within their means by using the fable of Maurus bar Radhani. As he reads the Parchments of Damascus, bar Radhani, son of a well-to-do businessman in the Middle Ages, discovers ten important principles-five concerning what destroys a person's ability to achieve economic prosperity and five concerning what helps it. As he discovers each new principle, amplified by discussion of the biblical tale of the Prodigal Son, bar Radhani is invited to meditate, explore, and apply each to his own life. Panasiuk then translates the principles to the modern-day world and provides questions and exercises for the reader to apply to his personal situation. This is a practical and entertaining introduction that should help readers achieve financial stability. Highly recommended for all public libraries and general bookstores.-Yolanda J. Cuesta, Cuesta MultiCultural Consulting, Sacramento, CA
Saber leer.
(How To Read)
Parodi, Giovanni, Marianne Peronard & Romualdo Ibañez.
Spain/U.S.: Aguilar: Santillana. 2010. 223p. ISBN 9788403100886. pap. $19.99. REFERENCE
The last book in the trilogy that started with Saber escribir ("How To Write") and Saber hablar ("How To Read") brings attention to the processes involved in the act of reading and details strategies to become a more efficient, thorough reader. "Leer" (to read) means to "comprehend the meaning of a graphic representation," according to the Real Academia Española. It can also mean to "interpret," "understand," and "discover." These definitions highlight how the cognitive processes used for reading start working early on in our lives: we pay attention and memorize signs, we compare them to establish similarities and differences, and we establish connections to make sense of the world around us. As adults, our general knowledge will continue to inform and affect the way we comprehend texts. Yet there are strategies that can help us better understand and learn what we read. Readers should first establish their "reading goals" and "strategies," all of which will depend on the specific text, or "discourse genre." In other words, if readers need to read an academic text, its genre may be "scientific article," the reading objective may be "read to study," and the strategies may be to "summarize," "understand important concepts," and "memorize definitions." The reading goals and strategies will be different if we are reading a novel for entertainment. The authors offer reading strategies-including creating conceptual maps to place the information in hierarchical order and looking for certain words when the text is a narrative, a description, or an argument-and a chart with 29 genres found in academia and the professional world, all of which will help university students and professionals create their reading strategies. They also suggest ways of learning from the written material, including verbally communicating with an audience. Highly recommended for academic libraries.-Ximena Diego, Brooklyn, NY
Abraham Lincoln: su liderazgo. Las lecciones y el legado de un presidente.
(Abraham Lincoln: His Leadership. Lessons and Legacy of a President)
Vidal, César.
U.S.: Grupo Nelson: Thomas Nelson. 2010. 208p. ISBN 9781602554276. $17.99. HISTORY
Abraham Lincoln is said to have wondered if he would have much of an influence on history. The publication of this volume by a historian from Spain suggests that not only is he admired in the United States but that his influence internationally is very strong. Vidal is a legally trained Spanish author with 100 books to his name and is also a somewhat controversial but popular radio host of the political Right. He has long had an interest in Abraham Lincoln, and in 2002 wrote a substantial biography in Spanish of the 16th U.S. President. Not a traditional biography, Vidal's second book on Lincoln is part historical summary and part evaluation of Lincoln's leadership style, focusing on Lincoln's decision-making process. The author, an active Protestant Christian, rejects the view of Lincoln as a nonreligious man found in many recent English-language studies. Vidal strongly suggested that not only was Lincoln a religious man but that many major decisions in his presidency were strongly influenced by his religious beliefs. An interesting polemic with a specific viewpoint that will be particularly appreciated by readers of the Christian Right; recommended for large public libraries, as well as academic libraries and general bookstores.-Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT
8.8: El miedo en el espejo. Una crónica del terremoto en Chile.
(8.8: The Fear In the Mirror. A Chronicle of the 2010 Chilean Earthquake)
Villoro, Juan.
Mexico: Almadía. 2010. 178p. 9786074110524. $15.95. CURRENT AFFAIRS/ESSAYS
When the powerful February 2010 earthquake struck Chile, its largest city, Santiago, was hosting an international children's literature conference. Among many notable attendees was Villoro. Besides his heralded work in journalism and literary fiction, he has written a number of well-received children's titles, some featuring the zany inventor Profesor Ziper. As a citizen of Mexico, Villoro is no stranger to earthquakes; he was also on hand for the other most powerful temblor in recent Latin American history, which hit Mexico City in 1985. Here he shares a thoughtfully chosen chronicle of human responses to this tremendously arresting force of nature. Much of this episodic book relates the variety of experiences of just before, during, and after the event that Villoro recorded from talks with many conference colleagues, who become richly developed characters under his narrative hand. Other sections explore the author's Chilean connections and compare the 2010 event to that of 1985, no stronger but far more destructive owing to negligent building by his country's much less principled construction sector. A short chapter explores Heinrich von Kleist's 1807 novel, The Earthquake in Chile, drawing human commonalities between this moment and that story of a 17th-century disaster. Having experienced an epochal quake and its aftermath myself (Kobe, Japan 1995), I found Villoro's testimony and his approaches to the story brilliant. Almadía adds to a growing list of beautifully designed paperbacks that are consistently trenchant and affordable. Recommended for general readers and students of cultural criticism.-Bruce Jensen, Rohrbach Library, Kutztown Univ. of Pennsylvania
ALSO IN TRANSLATION
Fiction
Nueve dragones.
(Nine Dragons)
Connelly, Michael.
tr. by Javier Guerrero. Spain: Roca, dist. by Spanish Pubs. 2010. 350p. ISBN 9788499181837. $23.95. FICTION
Connelly unveils his most personal Bosch story yet with this fish-out-of-water story. The pages fly....Another Connelly masterpiece. [LJ Xpress Reviews, 9/18/09]
Oscura. (Trilogía de la Oscuridad, II)
[The Fall. (Strain Trilogy, II)]
del Toro, Guillermo & Chuck Hogan.
tr. by Santiago Ochoa. U.S.: Suma de Letras: Santillana. 2010. 428p. ISBN 9786071106759. pap. $21.99. HORROR
The writer/director of Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy and Hogan pair up again for the follow-up to their best-selling debut, The Strain. A vampiric virus has conquered New York City and threatens to spread across the country and around the world. CDC team leader Eph Goodweather takes to the streets to combat these savage creatures who are locked in their own war. The Old World Ancients are raging against the New World vampires in a grudge match to dominate the planet. Driving this conflict is the Master, a clever and astute orchestrator of chaos. Fast-paced, action-packed, and even better than the first volume, this fun and scary read is highly recommended for thriller and horror fans. Newcomers to the trilogy will have no trouble following the story line. [LJ 9/1/10]
El professor.
(What Comes Next)
Katzenbach, John.
tr. by Julio Sierra. U.S.: Suma de Letras: Santillana. 2010. 450p. ISBN 9786071106254. pap. $21.99. FICTION
This novel from Edgar nominee Katzenbach will surely appeal to readers who crave suspense, action, an abundance of violence, and a well-developed plot based on intrigue, intimacy, and ambition. There's nothing unique in this formula, and the novel is on one level a fast, appealing read. It opens with aging academic Adrian Thomas discovering that he has degenerative dementia and does not have long to live. As he leaves the doctor's office, he witnesses the kidnapping of a teenager and begins sleuthing to discover what happened. Thomas's race against time-his own time-helps sustain and advance the plot. Unfortunately, the narrative spends too much time on the young victim's plight, which not only gets repetitive but can be distasteful. Readers are so drawn into the teenager's sexual exploitation scheme that they may feel exploited; the events are relentless and rendered with very little pity, so that reading the book becomes a real effort. In addition, Thomas's recourse of conversing with three deceased family members is not especially convincing. Recommended for secondary holdings or where suspense novels are popular.-Kathleen March, Univ. of Maine, Orono
La mano del destino. Una novela de la triple amenaza.
(Hand of Fate)
Wiehl, Lis.
tr. by Juan Carlos Martín Cobano. U.S.: Grupo Nelson: Thomas Nelson. 2010. 310p. ISBN 9781602553897. pap. $13.99. FICTION
An FBI special agent, a crime reporter, and a federal prosecutor team up to solve the murder of a talk-show host. While trying to unravel the clues, each woman also must deal with her own personal demons. Strong female characters and steady pacing combined with a suspenseful story line will win Wiehl new readers. [LJ 4/15/10]
Nonfiction
Los hornos de Hitler.
(Hitler's Ovens)
Lengyel, Olga.
tr. by Andrés María Mateo. Mexico: Diana: Planeta. 2010. 332p. ISBN 9786070705557. pap. $15.95. MEMOIR
A survivor's personal graphic and heart-gripping account of her months in Auschwitz. Recommended for general collections.-Ed.
Cocina del mundo. Las recetas de The F Word.
(World Kitchen: Recipes from The F Word)
Ramsay, Gordon.
tr. by Sonia Verjovsky, Cynthia Verjovsky Marcotte. Mexico: Planeta. 2010. 256p. photogs. ISBN 9786070704291. pap. $31.95. COOKING
International celebrity chef and restaurateur Ramsay presents a compendium of globe-spanning dishes inspired by his BBC television show, The F Word. Lush with mouth-watering photographs, the recipes are arranged by country or region into ten chapters. There is something for every level of cooking enthusiast, from easy meals, such as an elegant celery and Stilton cheese soup, to more elaborate creations, like sesame wonton fritters with sesame ice cream. A few of the recipes, namely, the pheasant casserole and the spinach ricotta ravioli, assume that the reader has had previous experience preparing rare foods or using more complex kitchen tools. This being a compilation of food favorites from around the world, readers may have to travel to an international market or specialty grocer for certain ingredients, like dragon fruit, ajwain seed, ras el hanout, York ham, and the British edible plant samphire. Ramsay rarely suggests alternatives to some of the more exotic ingredients, which may prove frustrating, especially for beginning cooks. However, anyone who wants to experiment with new flavors and cooking methods may find this a welcome addition to their cookbook collection. Highly recommended for bookstores and popular libraries.-Pamela Corante, Los Angeles, CA
Déjalo en las manos de Dios. Vive libre de las cargas que toda mujer conoce.
(Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know)
Walsh, Sheila.
tr. by Ammi Publishers International. U.S.: Grupo Nelson: Thomas Nelson. 2010. 239p. ISBN 9781602553927. pap. $13.99. SELF-HELP/SPIRITUALITY
Walsh, the author of several Christian titles, encourages women to trust Jesus and place their troubles in his hands and find freedom. She addresses the problems most women face, citing biblical passages and inspiring stories, including her own, to drive home the power of faith. Recommended for public libraries and general bookstores.-Ed.
Plan B. Que hacer cuando Dios no se manifiesta de la manera que esperabas?
(Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?
Wilson, Pete.
tr. by Omayra Ortiz. U.S.: Grupo Nelson: Thomas Nelson. 2010. 243p. ISBN 978160254214. pap. $13.99. SELF-HELP
Nashville-based Pastor Wilson explores people's tendency to create a Plan B, citing true stories of disappointment and perseverance to illustrate the belief that it's all a part of God's plan. Recommended for public libraries and bookstores.-Ed.
CLASSIC RETURNS
Fiction
El Hablador.
(The Storyteller)
Vargas Llosa, Mario.
Spain/U.S.: Punto de Lectura: Santillana. 2010. 270p. ISBN 9788466321464. pap. $11.99. FICTION
Recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in literature "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat," Vargas Llosa is also a former presidential candidate in Peru. In this classic, he investigates our essential need for fiction and explores the power of Western culture over the culture of Peru's Machiguengas. The novel opens in Florence when the narrator is rattled by a fuzzy photograph: part of an exhibition of Amazon Natives, it depicts an hablador, or storyteller, caught gesticulating to a rapt, native audience. The image of the primitive storyteller breaks open the tale of the oral treasures of the Machiguenga tribe, who bring stories from settlement to settlement traveling long and far in the Peruvian Amazon. In a style that mimics journalism, ethnography, and travel writing, Vargas Llosa lets two stories unravel together: the clean, rational narration of the writer from Lima who is enamored of the habladores and the flowing, mystical narration of the hablador himself. Mascarita, friend to the first narrator and known ally of the Machiguengas, is the bridge between these two stories. The passages narrated by the hablador, who embodies in his narrative style a limited idea of time and engenders the collective voices of the Machiguengas, is visionary and compelling. Recommended for all libraries and.-Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Palo Alto, CA
Nonfiction
Historia de un entusiasmo
(History of an Enthusiam)
Restrepo, Laura.
Spain/U.S.: Punto de Lectura: Alfaguara. 2010. 385p. ISBN 9788587049725. pap. $16.99. POLITICAL HISTORY
In 1984, journalist Restrepo was named a member of the committee established to mediate a peace accord between the guerrilla and the government in Colombia. Perhaps the most permanent legacy of that fleeting moment of hope, this book, originally published in 1995, foreshadowed Restrepo's later success as an internationally acclaimed novelist. The overview of the principal figures and ideologies of the various insurgent movements (FARC, ELN, EPL, and M-19) reveals their sophistication. On the government side, there is the adored President Belisario Betancur, "the most leftist that the highest economic, political, and military spheres could tolerate," and his colorful commissioners, notably Gabriel García Márquez. Some of the characters on both sides are so intriguing that they positively beg for their own chapters, but that is outside of the author's focus. Occasionally indulging in too much detail, Restrepo largely succeeds in helping us to feel the anticipation and hope and to share the disillusionment of its tragic betrayal. The application of this story is global, as it underscores the power of grassroots mobilization, the contrasting mindsets of urban and rural residents, and the disparate motivations of insurgents. Recommended for academic libraries and where interest in modern Latin American history warrants.-Carolyn Kost, Stevenson Sch. Lib., Pebble Beach, CA
NEW TO THE MARKET
Nonfiction
Negro. Historia de un color.
(Black: The History of a Color)
Pastoureau, Michel.
tr. by Julia Asuna Aguilar. Spain: 451 Editores. 2009. 210p. ISBN 9788496822863. $38.95. ART
Black, a color oft considered to be "neutral," reveals itself in Pastureau's book to have far more significance than its supposed objectivity suggests. With a sociological lens, Pastoureau deftly outlines the history of the color black and its meanings in art, fashion, architecture, and text. The book begins with humankind's first marks, the Paleolithic drawings in the Lascaux caves. While Paleolithic black may have been associated with a fear of the dark, black also lends a hand to the first smudges of humanity and art. Going forward, black markings on white backgrounds lay the groundwork for the invention of print. In early artworks, the color black consistently remains a somber symbol. Black bears represent death and pestilence in medieval paintings, and the color is frequently associated with the devil. However, a shift occurs in later centuries, and one begins to see black worn on royalty signifying wealth, luxury, and sobriety. For the clergy, black conveyed humility and devotion. Martin Luther in particular eschewed bright colors to emphasize the importance of a humble Christian life. With the advent of modernity, black becomes a poetic and elegant color in its own right, calling to mind Coco Chanel and films such as Citizen Kane that used stark contrasts of light and shadow. The images in this book are particularly captivating as black makes other colors pop. A face peering out of a dark shadowed hood becomes more mysterious, and the devil's bright red tongue against his black body looks all the more sinister and bloodied. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries, as well as art history departments.-Laura Torres, Somerville, MA
La importancia de los peces fluorescentes.
(The Importance of Fluorescent Fish)
Solana, Almudena.
Spain/U.S.: Suma de Letras: Santillana. 2009. 323p. ISBN 9788483651360. pap. $NA. FICTION
Spanish journalist Solana's acclaimed earlier novels earned her favorable comparison with The Elegance of the Hedgehog and Amélie. This latest work is perhaps a bit more highbrow, couched as it is in the conceit of a posthumous doctoral thesis. Its writer, Laura, has determined that "imagination hides the same scientific rigor as any other traditional method." Hence, she freely commingles empiricism and "the fiction of life" in examining the interwoven stories of three men associated with a sleep clinic. Nurse Salvador has phenomenal luck, but his forced early retirement from his beloved profession produced insomnia. He alone recognizes the contributions of technician Luis, unknown to the charismatic director, Dr. Plancton, who overcomes great personal tragedy with the aid of the titular fluorescent fish. While we are sympathetic, it is not the character study that keeps us reading, since none of the three is particularly likable and we don't especially care about them, but, oh, the prose: delightful musings about life, poignant scenes described with journalistic detail and sensibility, passages so exquisitely crafted that we're compelled to read them again. Recommended for general bookstores, as well as academic and public libraries.-Carolyn Kost, Stevenson Library, Pebble Beach, CA
NEW FORMAT
Fiction
La reina del sur.
(The Queen of the South)
Pérez-Reverte, Arturo.
Spain/U.S.: Alfaguara: Santillana. 2011. 542p. ISBN 9781616053239. pap. $14.99. FICTION
Originally published in 2002, this best-selling novel by Spanish author and journalist Pérez-Reverte (El club Dumas, El capitán Alatriste) is the story of Mexican narco-queen Teresa Mendoza. This new edition is a timely addition to all library collections and bookstores in light of Telemundo's new telenovela based on Pérez-Reverte's page-turner. (Tie-in cover.)-Ed.
