Carmenza’s Book List
1) The
Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley & Malcolm X
Why?
The book demystifies a very controversial political/religious figure of the
civil rights
movement. The reader follows the life of a black man with
a tragic background who evolves
into an
introspective man.
2) In the Time
of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Why? The author tells the true story of a group of
sisters that had the courage to confront the
brutal
Trujillo dictatorship of the Dominican Republic. I was inspired by the strength of the
women
during a time when women weren’t readily accepted as leaders.
3) The Biography
of Che Guevara by John Lee Anderson.
Why?
I enjoyed the personal and historical accounts of a true revolutionary leader
during a
turbulent
political stage in Latin America’s history.
4) Poisonwood
Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Why? The author provides interesting viewpoints of
individual family members on a Christian
mission
in the Congo during 1960-1980.
5) Jaguar Smile
by Salmon Rushdie
Why? Short, quick and compact introduction to the
Sandanistas revolution in Nicaragua.
Author
has an interesting personal perspective.
6) Love in the
Time of the Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Why? The best in modern day Latin American
literature. The romantic tale set in a
Colombian
town
captures the essence of a small town in Latin America.
7) Aztec
by Gary Jennings
Why? The author is a gifted storyteller that
describes the day in the life of an Aztec warrior
before
and during the Spanish Inquisition.
8) Race Matters
by Cornell West
Why? I appreciated the sincerity of the author’s
perspective on how people perceive race and
are not
necessarily open to admit it.
9) Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison
Why?
I found the story to be very insightful on how race discrimination can
influence one’s own
identity.
10) Commanding
Heights by Daniel Yergin & Joseph Stanislaw
Why?
Concise historical account of how globalization became to be.
11) In the Search
of Respect by Phillip Bourggois
Why? The author gives an objective view on the
drug culture in New York City during the 1980’s.
12) MAUS I &
MAUS II by Art Spiegelman
Why?
The author masterfully chooses to use cartoons to describe the story of a son who
learns about his family’s survival tale in Poland during the holocaust.
13) Poems by Pablo
Neruda
Why? If you are into romance Neruda is the person
you need to read…preferably in Spanish.