Bailando En Silencio: Escenas de Una Ninez Puertorriquena

Poetry. Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Spanish language edition of SILENT DANCING: A PARTIAL REMEMBRANCE OF A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD, translated by Elena Olazagasti-Segovia. The original English version of this book was well received, and Olazagasti-Segovia’s Spanish translation will most certainly be popular not only among Puerto Ricans but also with other immigrant groups who know the apparent dichotomy of living in two different and opposing cultures. Chapters trace the author’s changes from childhood to adolescence in a life divided between long stays in her mother’s native Puerto Rico with her colorful extended family and long, lonely winters in New Jersey while her absent father serves in the U.S. Navy. Each phase poses different challenges, but the author as a young girl manages to meet the demands of womanhood and family without losing her own identity. Latinas, specially young adults who have gone through similar experiences, will identify with the author, for her lovely book is a mirror where each of us may see our own reflection, although slightly altered by personal experience. This very enriching work is recommended for public libraries, especially those with young adult collections –Carmen J. Palmieri, Library Journal.