The Latin Deli: Prose and Poetry

Here Ortiz ( Terms of Survival ) vividly depicts the lives of Puerto Rican immigrants through both poetry and prose. ``Corazon's Cafe,'' for example, a short story, tells of a childless couple moving to Paterson, N.J., to open a bodega. But Manuel dreams of dispensing more than just food to people: he also offers them recipes, advice, specialties from home, and love. His wife's task is to make the visions of this dreamer possible. The book is full of strong female figures and explores the complexities of Latina identity. In ``The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria,'' Cofer describes her own experience of the stereotypes of Latina women: before her first poetry reading, an Anglo woman tried to order a cup of coffee from her. Far worse is the treatment received from men, she believes, with their ``Hot Tamale'' idea of Latinas as ``sexual firebrands.'' Even within the family lurk silence, darkness and oppression, as well as music and light. Some of Cofer's best work evokes the confusions of childhood, from which she has learned ``that pain / is something you can embrace, like a rag doll / nobody will ask you to share.'' (Dec.)