Fuego, Laura del. 1989 250 pgs. (pbk) ISBN: 0915745151 Ser.: La Mujer Latina
Series. $25.00 Price for class use $16.95
"I named you Consuelo," my mother said, "because you didn't stop screaming
for hours when you were born. I figured you needed hope." To Consuelo
Concepción, "Cece" Contreres, however, hope seems to be just about all she's
got. So when her boy- friend is cheating on her, her friends are doing drugs, and
her parents don't understand her, is it any wonder that the only person she can
talk to is St. Teresa de Avila? From the housing projects of East Los Angeles,
Maravilla, to the lively scene of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district in the
1960s, Laura del Fuego's novel tells the absorbing and personal tale of a young
Chicana, like many in real life, making her way in turbulent times. It is a
thoughtful and sometimes violent story about coming of age in the heart of the
barrio, discovering one's self in the midst of chaos and trying to make sense of a
troubled life. An outstanding young writer, del Fuego knits a complex weave
whereby her heroine progresses through the barrios of East Los Angeles during
the effervescent years of the 1960's. Unlike, García Márquez' narrative that
centers on political turmoil and violence, Del Fuego's bring us the asphalt
jungle, violence in the inner city barrio, which equally unsettle and destroy the
Latino pathos. This new height of writing style and drama is a welcome addition
to the selected group of Hispanic women writers. Most highly recommended.