Book Club

Allende’s Long-Awaited Return

By Angie Romero | 04/27/2010 - 18:00 | 2 Comments

As I mentioned some weeks back, it's been four years since Isabel Allende wrote a novel, and some of us—including myself and my dad, who is arguably her biggest fan—have been waiting impatiently for Island Beneath The Sea ($26.99,...

Who Really Owns Inca History?

By Angie Romero | 04/23/2010 - 20:00 | 8 Comments

Who's right: The government of Peru or Yale University? It's hard to say, but a new book aims to answer the question. In CRADLE OF GOLD: The Story of Hiram Bingham, a Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu (Palgrave Macmillan Press, $18, ...

The Joy of Journaling

By Angie Romero | 04/16/2010 - 18:00 | 0 Comments

A while ago, Cinema Tropical put together a list of the best Latin American films of the past decade. Not surprisingly, Argentina dominated the list, with 39 mentions (and 3 in the top 10 alone). Looking over the list, I realized I have a lot of catching up to do. So imagine...

I Heart Tattoos

By Angie Romero | 03/26/2010 - 18:00 | 5 Comments

Whomever doesn't deem the Mara Salvatrucha, aka MS-13 gang, a threat to our society is in denial. Their activities consist mainly of drug and arms smuggling, kidnapping, robbery, human trafficking, and murder. With close to 10,000 members in the U.S. alone, the Mara is one of the FBI’s and ICE’s biggest concerns. Most MS-13 members are immigrants who fled Central America's...

Book Review: "Lone Star Legend" by Gwedolyn Zepeda

By Lori Hoffman | 02/22/2010 - 18:31 | 1 Comment

Lone Star Legend by Gwedolyn Zepeda

In today’s tabloid-obsessed culture, snarkiness reigns supreme—just as it does in journalist-turned-blogger Sandy Saavedra’s world. Once an aspiring “serious” hard news writer, Sandy finds herself working for a Gawker-esque entertainment Web site called Nacho Papi, while maintaining her...

Hot. Passionate. And Illegal?

By Angie Romero | 01/05/2010 - 16:59 | 0 Comments

A telenovela hunk writing a book is sort of like sharing a bar of soap to me—you just don’t do it. Unless, of course, it’s meant to be funny. And that’s exactly what Chilean actor Cristián De La Fuente’s ridiculously titled publishing debut,...

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The Rhythm of Success

By Angie Romero | 01/01/2010 - 11:00 | 50 Comments

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the Estefans. Gloria and Emilio, married for 31 years, have always been, in my mind, our First Family. The ballad, “Con Los Años Que Me Quedan,” which they co-wrote, epitomizes grown-up love to me. Sometimes, I even daydream that I am Gloria on the black-and-white cover...