Daughters of Fif Sun

Threaded throughout this tantalizing but uneven collection of contemporary Latina writings is the theme of straddling two worlds--those of English- and Spanish-speaking cultures. The authors, though mostly American-born, have Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican or Native American backgrounds. In 17 short stories and nearly as many poems, this balancing act is manifest both in the subject matter, drawn primarily from family roots and relationships, and in the fact that most of the work was written in English, although often richly interwoven with Spanish phrases. Notable short stories include ``The Kiss,'' by Julia Alvarez (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents), a deftly told tale of a woman's rebellion against her elderly, iron-fisted father, and the hypnotic, elliptical ``Eyes of Zapata,'' by Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street), which recounts a family's experience of war in Mexico. The poems, all in free verse, tend toward the imagistic, surreal lyrics of much Latin American poetry. In Miriam Bornstein's ``On Becoming Round,'' the speaker supposes that ``Neruda knew nothing about pots and pans/ and putting words in little hands.'' Variety is both this collection's strength and weakness; too many of the selections by lesser-known writers have a disappointingly unfinished quality, making fresh voices like those of Cherrie Moraga, Ana Castillo and Teresinka Pereira stand out all the more. (Sept.)