I have only recently become acquainted with Ortiz-Cofer's splendid honesty and stretching creativity, yet I am overwhelmed with the power that she exudes in "Woman in Front of the Sun". Having read "The Latin Deli", I was ecstatic when I found another collection that calls her memory and lessons learned to dance for the curiosity of her readers. Aside from the traditional definition of the term, Ortiz-Cofer is powerful through the pure simplicity of her accounts of life. In "Woman in Front of the Sun", she places value on what is valuable, she learns through the grades of life, and she exposes her tender realities to those she hopes will appreciate her. She inspires readers to find the innocence in being "Macho", the same value others might call confidence. By opening the pages of this book, you'll find a comfort similar to that of your own thoughts.

I stumbled upon this title while reading an issue of The Oxford American and decided to give it a read. What a revelation! I am not familiar with any of Judith Ortiez Cofer's other works, but if this is any indication, I will be reading them all. A collection of essays, poems and folktales, this book blends the author's emergence as a writer with memories of growing up as a Puerto Rican in Patterson, New Jersey. The influences of the island her parents left behind, the Catholic Church as well as the emerging women's movement, combine with a Growing knowledge that the author wants to write. This is not only an autobiography, it is a compelling argument of why she has answered the call to write, and the struggles with self, that she, as a writer has faced. It examines the drive to create, the forces that pull one away from writing, and the quest to have a place of one's own. In clear, lyrical language, she encourages women to seek a life of truth, no matter the route or medium. She reveals some of the writers (a diverse group) that ignited her imagination and passion for writing. "Take what you can use and let the rest rot" is an expression used, and this book is invaluable to women, actually , to anyone who loves to read and who longs to use words to reach others. The best "writing" book I have read in years, and a treasure to keep.

This tasty book is full of the smells, textures, colors and lives of the Barrio. Lively, inspiring, heartfelt and sometimes heartbreaking, Ortiz fills this book with individuals whose lives are both representative of immigrated people and yet strikingly the stories of every woman and man. Mostly comprised of short-shorts the occasional poem is also brought in. Not all of the characters are named, and there is a sense that the reader is sometimes getting both the history and the future of the same characters. Marvelously woven, this book is a tapestry of personalities, lives, tastes and aromas. Check this book out for something unique! May I also recommend that a cup of Cuban coffee goes wonderfully!

This book is a must-read by writers, those who would write, and those interested in human studies. It is particularly empowering for writers who struggle for time to write, the required solitude of the writer's life, the pervasive lack of attention by culture to poetry and literature, and the lack of sympathy or empathy from family and acquaintances. These varied essays are also testimonies for the human spirit. An uplifting as well as educational read.

I enjoyed reading this book about the life of Guzman or rather more about the life of a Puerto Rican family. The main focus is on Guzman and his sister Ramona's family. In the second half Marisol, Ramona's daughter, continues the story to the end. Magic plays a role in the story, but it adds interest as well as Guzman's return to the family in the second half. I also enjoyed the fact that women had a strong presence in the family. I thought that latin men would be the dominant members of the family. This book demonstrated to me that either women or men could have a dominant presence in the family. While reading, I felt that I was living with them as an impartial viewer seeing a life as though it were a movie in progress. The book captures the essence of the life and the spiritual influences that I have read or heard about from other sources. Some may feel that the story is full of cliches, but to me the story is about life, a good read as C.S.Forester's The African Queen or Daniel Quinn's Ishmael.

This book begins with a colorful and exoticized portrayal of a family living in Salud, a small town in Puerto Rico. The story is a telenovela, filled with bright colors, beautiful people, undying love between the wrong people. However, we find out that the narrator is, in fact, a niece to the first main character, Guzman. Her story is far less interesting and motivating than hers and the second half of the novel- her coming of age- is so similar to Nicholasa Mohr's Nilda and Esmeralda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican, that it is a disappointing denoument to the novel.

This has to be one of my favorite books by Mrs. Cofer; I loved it so much I read it three times in a row. The story of the lives of Mama Cielo, her son Guazman and so forth takes you on a journey to Puerto Rico in the earlier part of the 20th century. The Characters are all interweaved into a World that will captivate you. Starting in rural Puerto Rico and then going to the barrios of New York, and back to Puerto Rico. One takes a journey through the Peasant Puerto Rican life, the mystery and magic of brujeria and Santeriia. This book has it all, a Novel that reads like one of those most loved, Spanish Telenovelas. This book is a must read for all Latino, especially to my sister Latinas as this book shows the importance and strength of the Latina woman in the Familia. Highly Recommended. I wish they would base a mini TV movie on this book, it would be such a treat. A++++++++++

In a seemling easy narrative of remembrance, Ortiz Cofer brillantly weaves in dense yet accessible political thought on the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized through her literary genius: her keen use of metaphor. Ortiz Cofer's outloud conversational tone is engaging and unintimidating even in the face of the deep issues she raises and the hard questions she subtly yet clearly asks. Through "Silent Dancing," Judith Ortiz Cofer takes the reader along for a very enlightening journey through her self-exploration and self-definition. Ortiz Cofer discusses the ways that race, class, gender, and culture interact in shaping her life experiences without sounding dogmatic or naive. "Silent Dancing" is a work of substance, a work worth revisiting again!

Judith Ortiz Cofer's book, Silent Dancing, is an intriguing personal narrative, which creates an instant curiousity within the reader! The structure of this book is creative in that Cofer writes each chapter as a different phase/aspect of her life and creates a desire, for the reader, to read on. Cofer writes of her childhood and specific memories she holds of her family and herself. Her shared memorites of childhood allow her book to be well understood and allow her readers to relate to their own personal childhoods. In addition, Cofer's shared memories of her life in Puerto Rico and the emphasis on her family's culture had on her life, is very insightful. She opens a wide window into the Puerto Rican culture and allows her readers to see her life as it truly was. This book, although well written and very interesting, should not be considered for young readers. The main reason this book should be read by an adult audience is because of some specific content within the book. Questionable references to sex and other material including the use of one profanity makes this book one for adults. Overall, this book is extremely interesting in nature and one which should be read in enjoyment. This book offers great insight into the Puerto Rican culture and allows readers to be reminded of the many different cultures which make up the American culture.

Personally I did not like this book a lot. The first story , "La mala influencia" is really good and present a satirical situation of the problem that exists when purtorricans raise in the United States culturally clash with their roots. This is basicly thi message of the book: it deals with the new generation, the children of puertorrican inmigrants and the battle they must fight between choosing their parents culture or the popular culture of the time. This book is mainly focused for teenagers.

"An Island Like You" first came to my attention as I was searching for books by Judith Ortiz Cofer. I was drawn in by the individuality of the characters, their day to day challenges and struggles, and the strength that all characters showed in the face of the unknown. I just received "Una isla como tu" last week after deciding that I wanted to read the book in the true language of the characters, and I wasn't disappointed by the translation.

The Spanish novel is every bit as compelling and graceful as its English counterpart, and great care is taken not to change any of the details. I believe that reading this novel in Spanish makes these stories of the barrio even more authentic, and this is an excellent translation that shouldn't be missed. The reading level of Spanish should be accessible to high school and university students studying Spanish.

New Jersey Barrio young woman discovers her womanhood and sexual self through the time of the counter culture movement of the 1960s. Maria Elenita makes a stand against her Mother's traditional Puerto Rican/American upbringing, she refuses to decorate her room with angels and Saints, distaining what her parents loved and shocking her Mother. The poems, essays and recolections are beautifully written. Nostalgic for those who grew up in that time and in those circumstances and of interest to young women, particularly those of latino or hispanic background.

Before I read this book, I had no knowledge what-so-ever on Puerto Rican culture; but if I based my opinions on what the author talks about in this book I would come to the conclusion that all Puerto Rican kids are either disrespectful little punks or absolutley weird nerds, which is, of course, BS. I know Cofer is an excellent author, but this books just wasn't her pot of tea! It's stupid and degrading.

I found the story of this 'gang' of boys to be interesting and well-written. The characters were very real, and so were the situations. A must-read for young adults, and those interested in multi-cultural young adult literature.

This book in my opinion was very good. I loved all the short stories, but the only thing that I did not like in this book is how some of the stories were written. The first-person written stories were good and there was nothing I could complain about, but the third-person written stories were horrible! It reminded me of the way I wrote in third grade and some were even repetative. However, the stories were great and it had a very strong and interesting ending.