Jack Canfield - Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul: Celebrating La Comunidad Latina

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CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE LATINO SOUL

CHICKEN SOUP
FOR THE LATINO
SOUL

Celebrating La Comunidad Latina

Jack Canfield
Mark Victor Hansen
Susan Snchez-Casal

Backlist, LLC, a unit of

Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

Cos Cob, CT

www.chickensoup.com

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

copyright 2012 Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

ISBN: 978-1-4532-7954-0 (ePub)

Cover design by Andrea C. Uva
Interior design by Dawn Von Strolley Grove

Contents

Pat Mora

Renee Fajardo

Dahlma Llanos Figueroa

Angela Cervantes

Aurelio Deane Font

Maria Ercilla

Joe Coln

Mara Luisa Salcines

Olga Valle-Herr

Jacqueline Mndez

Marie Delgado Travis

Charles A. Mariano

Regina Ramos

Randy Cordova

Antonio Farias

Sylvia M. DeSantis

Zulmara Cline

Yahaira Lawrence

Kathy Cano Murillo

Pat Mora

Carlos R. Bermdez

Cindy Lou Jordan

Maria Ercilla

Johnny Diaz

Irma Y. Andrade

Sylvia Rosa-Casanova

Steve Peralta

Alejandro Daz

Linda M. Gonzlez

Mara Luisa Salcines

Melissa Annette Santiago

Rogelio R. Gmez

Jacqueline Mndez

C. M. Zapata

Esther Bonilla Read

Marta A. Oppenheimer

Elizabeth Garca

Heather J. Kirk

Salvador Gonzlez Padilla

Juan Blea

Ruben Navarrette, Jr.

Nilsa Mariano

Michele Carlo

Caroline C. Snchez

Cynthia Leal Massey

Liza M. Rodriguez

Aurora Levins Morales

Aurora Levins Morales

Dahlma Llanos Figueroa

Anjela Villarreal Ratliff

Johnny N. Ortez, Jr.

Norma Oquendo

Mara Luisa Salcines

Deborah Rosado Shaw

Maya lvarez-Galvn

Barbara Gutirrez

Mary Helen Ponce

Melody Delgado Lorbeer

Rick Rivera

Alvaro Garduo

Michele Capriotti

Colin Mortensen-Snchez

Xiomara J. Pages

Dr. Ellen G. Batt

Roberto G. Fernndez

Robert Suarez

Lauren Perez

Susan Snchez-Casal

Carlos R. Bermdez

Mnica Garca Senz

Maria Luisa Alaniz

Ruben Navarrette, Sr

Patricia L. Herlevi Balquin

Mnica Gonzlez

Nancy Harless

Carlos R. Bermdez

Caroline C. Snchez

Susan Snchez-Casal

Adriana Rosales

Suzanne LaFetra

Jennifer Ramon-Dover

Michele Capriotti

Marie Delgado Travis

Margarita B. Velez

Cristina Cornejo

Chela Gonzlez

It has been an honor for me to coauthor Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul, which I hope will make a meaningful contribution to Latino communities across the nation. I have worked for four years on Latino Soul and have nurtured every piece of writing in the book. I have had the pleasure of working with a diverse group of Latino/a authors whose talent and spirit have inspired me throughout the process, and whose stories are the heart and soul of Latino Soul. While any reader of this series will be drawn to the powerful stories told in these pages, Latino Soul will have special meaning for Latinos/as, who will find stories and poems that reflect in significant ways many of the challenges we face, the joys we share, the hurdles we jump, the wisdom of our elders, the laughter that unites us, the losses we endure, the lessons we learn, the people who hold our families together, and the faith, hope and relationships that keep us sane and moving forward.

My goal in writing, collecting, and editing stories and poems for Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul was to make available to readers a book that presents universally human themes from within Latino perspectives and experiences. The experiences narrated in this collection include the history of Latino immigrants whose sacrifice and hard work have contributed decisively to the growth and prosperity of this nation, and who have paved the way for new generations of Latinos in the United States; the sense of connection to our ancestral homelands, or the longing for that connection; the complexity of Latino identity; the search for spiritual connection with our loved ones who have passed away, and the importance of caring for the dying, and remembering and celebrating the dead; the challenge and advantage of bilingualism, the struggle to preserve the Spanish language in adverse conditions, and the often comical consequences of living in two languages (Spanglish); the inspiration drawn from Latino cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs; Latino faith in the power of community; the central place of family in our cultures, and the fierce loyalty of children to their parents, grandparents and siblings; the vital importance of mothers and grandmothers (