SPACE BETWEEN THE STARS: My Journey to an Open Heart

"I am Carlos's wife, but I am first myself" is the message of this candid memoir of Santana's personal evolution into an open-hearted woman. Once listeners grow accustomed to Santana's proper, pedagogic voice, her story—of her loving interracial parents, her close bond with sister Kitsaun, her romantic coming of age in 1960s California and her 31-year marriage to guitar legend Carlos Santana—proves mesmerizing. The absence of tonal foreshadowing in Santana's delivery is precisely what pulls listeners along and keeps them wondering what will happen next. Incidental background music, previously unreleased, is performed by Carlos, their son, Salvador, and her father, blues guitarist Saunders King. Rabid Santana fans will appreciate this added material, but in some places, it distracts from the narrative. Nevertheless, few could resist the poignancy and loving delivery of this audiobook. The author's voice breaks when she recounts her goodbye to her dying 91-year-old father; we hear him singing Danny Boy , followed by a poem to him written and narrated by Santana's youngest daughter, Angelica. Hearing this intimate memoir read by Santana herself reinforces its primary message—that it's important to "transcend an outdated belief" and open one's heart in the process. Simultaneous release with the Ballantine/One World hardcover (Forecasts, Dec. 13, 2004). (Mar.)