Riding Low on the Streets of Gold: Latino Literature for Young Adults

Fiction. Poetry. Latino/Latina Studies. Young Adult. RIDING LOW ON THE STREETS OF GOLD is an essential collection of stories and poems for young people that introduces U.S. Latino Literature. "There seemed to be no way out of the custom. Her arguments were always the same and always turned into pleas ... 'But, Ama', it's embarrassing. I'm too old for that. I'm an adult,'" Naomi says in Helena Maria Viramontes' story "Growing." Ever since Naomi hit high school and puberty, she began to notice that "there were too many expectations, and no one instructed her on how to fulfill them..." In her tradition-bound family and under the thundering gaze of her father, Naomi struggles to stretch the limitations imposed on her by her family, even as her mind expands along with her changing body. Like "Growing," the pieces in this anthology for young adults reveal the struggles of discovering a new self and the trials of leaving behind an old one. This extraordinary collection gathers a wealth of stories and poems that explore the challenges of negotiating identity and relationships with others, struggling with authority, learning to love oneself and challenging the roles society demands of teenagers and adults. Edited by well-known poet and prose-writer Judith Ortiz Cofer, the collection includes work by such leading Latino writers as Pat Mora, Jesus Salvador Trevino, Tomas Rivera, Virgil Suarez, Jose Marti, Viramontes and Ortiz Cofer herself. Included as well are new voices that represent the freshness and vigor of youth: Mike Padilla, Daniel Chacon, and Sarah Cortez. For many students across the United States, this text will serve as their first rewarding introduction to diverse writers of Latino/Latina literature.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Arte Publico Press
Published: 10/01/2003
ISBN: 9781558853805
Pages: 198
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.52w x 0.61d

Review Citations: Booklist 12/01/2003 pg. 658
PW Notes and Reprints 01/12/2004 pg. 55
School Library Journal 06/01/2004 pg. 136
Voice of Youth Advocates 10/01/2004 pg. 330
Multicultural Review 12/01/2004 pg. 99
Publishers Weekly 01/12/2004
School Library Journal 04/01/2005 pg. 66