To continue our monthly series of book lists, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following books for adults.
How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. The four Garcia girls and their parents escape the secret police in the Dominican Republic by moving to the United States. Vignettes from different family members' perspectives illustrate the culture shock they experience when they trade their pampered lifestyle for their new status as immigrants. The daughters become very Americanized, much to their Papi's disapproval. Cassette book RC 34544. Also available in Spanish on Cassette book RC 65995.
The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. A series of vignettes introduces the friends and family of the narrator, Esperanza, who lives on Mango Street in the Puerto Rican section of Chicago. In this transient neighborhood of people speaking a mixture of Spanish and English, Esperanza, whose name means "hope," learns to cope with being an out-of-step girl by telling stories. Cassette book RC 35608. Also available in Spanish on Cassette book RC 50975.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores the childhood of nerdy and overweight Oscar, who is constantly teased for not living up to the ideal of Dominican American manhood. Oscar dreams of becoming a famous science fiction writer, which may be easier than finding a girl who will fall in love with him. Bestseller. Cassette book RC 65402. Large Print book LP 23920.
Dreaming In Cuban by Cristina Garcia. Staunch Castro supporter Celia del Pino dreams of a long-lost lover and laments that her daughter Lourdes's immigration to New York has separated Celia from her granddaughter Pilar. Meanwhile, Lourdes struggles with her father's death and a lack of respect from adult, punk artist Pilar. After the breakdown and death of Celia's other daughter, the three women reunite in Cuba. Cassette book RC 35414. Also available in Spanish on Cassette book RC 43992.
The Mambo Kings Play Songs Of Love by Oscar Hijuelos. Cesar Castillo and his brother Nestor fled Batista's Cuba and formed "The Mambo Kings," a jazz group playing the clubs of Harlem. Now Cesar is dying and drinking and mourning the loss of his youth, past loves, and his brother. Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Cassette book RC 30259. Also available in Spanish on Cassette book RC 46979.
In Cuba I Was A German Shepherd by Ana Menendez. Eleven tales about post-revolutionary Cubans set in Miami and Havana. In the title piece, four elderly men -- two Cubans and two Dominicans -- meet in a Miami park each morning to play dominos. Maximo, the smaller Cuban, tells jokes that reveal his heartbreak. Cassette book RC 53608.
The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. Since graduating from Boston University, "las sucias" -- Lauren, Elizabeth, Sara, Rebecca, Usnavys, and Amber -- reunite twice a year. The Latina women, as varied as the culture they represent, meet in a restaurant to share their perspectives on relationships, complications, and triumphs in their lives. Cassette book RC 56472. Also available in Spanish on Cassette book RC 56963.