Books

Authors Mary Castillo, Caridad Piñeiro, Berta Platas and Sofia Quintero collaborate in Friday Night Chicas: Sexy Stories From La Noche (St. Martin’s Press, April 2005). The collection of four flirty novellas tells the stories of Latinas in New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago as they search for love, friendship and adventure. High school reunions, bachelorette parties and casino cruises offer plenty of possibilities for these young Latinas to spice things up.

In Dying to Cross: The Worst Immigrant Tragedy in American History (HarperCollins, April 2005), Emmy Award–winning journalist Jorge Ramos tells the story of the tragic deaths of 19 immigrants trying to cross the border from Mexico to Texas in 2003. Ramos, an anchor at Noticiero Univisión for the past 16 years, is also the best-selling author of last year’s Latino Wave: How Hispanics Will Elect the Next American President.

Making Bread: The Ultimate Financial Guide for Women who Need Dough (Running Press, April 2005), by Gail Harlow with Elizabeth Lewin, is an ultimate resource for women in need of expert financial advice. Focusing on issues unique to women, such as maternity leave and sexist wage discrepancies, the book offers testimony and advice from women who understand the ins and outs of finance management.

Mambo Peligroso (HarperCollins, May 2005) is the second novel from Patricia Chao. After her first book, Chao became a professional mambo dancer, and from her experiences wrote Mambo Peligroso, an exploration of the mambo world and the Latin American immigrants who embody the dance and its music. Like Chao, her protagonist Catalina develops an obsession with mambo which awakens in her a passion she didn’t know existed.

The author of Striptease and Querido Dracula, Antonio Orlando Rodriguez brings us his latest novel, The Last Masquerade (HarperCollins, April 2005), a tragicomedy set in 1920s Latin America. On the trail of legendary Italian actress Eleonora Duse, two young Colombian aristocrats travel to Havana, Cuba. Over the course of their adventure, they cross paths with a variety of characters, including an hermaphrodite nun, a friend who has the face of a monkey, and the most handsome communists in the world.

Two of Gregory E. Lang’s New York Times bestsellers are now available in Spanish-language versions. Porque una Hija Necesita un Papá and Porque un Hijo Necesita un Papá (Cumberland House, Jan. 2005) remind readers of the lifelong importance of the bond between father and child. Each book offers 100 reasons why a son or daughter needs his or her father as Lang reflects on what he would hope to bring to his own children.

 

Music

Singer-songwriter Jimena released her latest album, titled En Soledad, in March in both Mexico and the United States. Writing eight of the album’s 10 songs herself, the Mexico City native adds her strong vocals to the stories of love, loneliness and independence.

In January, Mundo Aparte released is full-length, self-titled debut. The Los Angeles–based rock band offers up a powerful collection of songs, all performed in Spanish and bolstered by the intensity of the band’s instrumental performances and the melodic vocals of lead singer Corina.

In 2004, Miami’s JD Natasha released her bilingual debut album, Imperfecta/Imperfect. Since then the 16-year-old artist has been wowing listeners as well as MTV and Spanish-language TV audiences with her singing and guitar-playing talents.

KIDS’ CORNER

One of PBS KIDS’ highest-rated series, Dragon Tales returned in February for its third season. The 2005 episodes will feature a new character, 6-year-old Enrique from Colombia, who will teach his neighbors Emmy and Max and their dragon friends about the Hispanic-American experience.
 

Cinco Monitos Brincando en la Cama/Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Clarion, April 2005), by Eileen Christelow, tells the familiar story of the bed-jumping monkeys in a bilingual board-book version that fits perfectly in a toddler’s hands.

MOVIES

In Sahara, explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) travels to West Africa in the most dangerous adventure of his life. He and sidekick Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) embark on a treasure hunt for a long-lost Civil War battleship said to protect a secret cargo. Along the way, the two run into the beautiful Dr. Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz), who adds adds a layer of intensity to their search: The “Ship of Death” may be connected to a series of mysterious deaths in the area.

Salma Hayek joins costars Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson in After the Sunset, released on DVD March 29. Hayek plays Lola, partner in crime to Brosnan’s Max. Following a recent successful heist, they travel to the Bahamas to relax. But FBI agent Stan (Harrelson) cannot rest easy that the partnership has retired its thieving ways and follows the two to Paradise Island. Indeed, it’s a hard act to shake, and while Lola struggles to fill her idle days, Max is tempted by the soon-to-arrive third Napoleon diamond.