Books on DR...interested?

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Golo100

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Jan 5, 2002
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I ran across this information. Let me pass it along for those of you interested in books about DR:


NON-FICTION

Area Handbook for the Dominican Republic by Thomas E. Well (917.293 Wel)
At the Plate with ? Sammy Sosa by Matt Christopher (921 Sos)
A Brief History of the Caribbean by Jan Rogozinski (972.93 Rog)
Caribbean Access (917.29 Car Sec)
Caribbean Amphibians and Reptiles by Brian I. Crother (REF 597.9 Car Sec)
Caribbean & the Bahamas by James Henderson (917.29 Hen Sec)
Caribbean Fodor?s 2000 (917.29 Car Sec)
Caribbean from $60 a day : Ultimate Guide to Low-cost Travel by D. Porter (917.29 Por Sec)
Caribbean Island Handbook with the Bahamas by Passport Books (917.29 Cam)
Common Birds of the Dominican Republic by Steven C. Latta (598 Lat Sec)
Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean by Isabel Z. Brown (972.93 Bro Sec)
Dominican Chronicle by Carlton Alexander Rood (972.93 Roo)
Dominican Color and Sensation of the Dominican Republic (972.93 Dom)
Dominican Diary by Tad Szulc (972.93 Szu Sec)
Dominican Republic by Dole (917.293 Dol)
Dominican Republic Pascouture (917.293 Par)
Dominican Republic by Alexander Creed (972.93 Cre)
Dominican Republic by Erin Foley (972.93 Fol)
Dominican Republic by Tucker & Ekerhard (917.29 Tuc)
Dominican Republic by Ulysses Guide (917.293 Uly Sec)
Dominican Republic : Adventure Guide by H. Praire (917.293 Pra)
Dominican Republic : A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (917.293 Hav Sec)
Dominican Republic & Haiti (917.293 Dog)
Dominican Republic in Pictures by N. A. Haverstock and John P. Hoover (917.29304 Hav Sec)
The Dominican People 1850-1900 by Johns Hopkin (972.93 Hoe)
The Dominican Republic : Enchantment of the World by Laura Roger (972.93 Rog Sec)
Encyclopedia of Dominican Plastic Arts, 1844-200. by C. Ger?n (SP REF 920 Ger Sec)
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture by B. A. Tenenbaum (REF 980 Enc Sec)
The Era of Trujillo by Jes?s Gal?ndez (972.93 Gal Sec)
Folklore from the Dominican Republic by Manuel J Andrade (398.7293 And)
A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies. (598.097 Raf Sec)
Hispanic Writers by Bryan Ryan (REF 810.9 His Sec)
The Indians of Hispaniola by Juan Tom?s Tavares (972.93 Tav)
Life in the Dominican Republic by Kids for Kids (PRO 972.93 Lif)
Living in Santo Domingo by Santo Dominigo News (972.93 Liv)
Nature Guide: the North Coast of the Dominican Republic (910.7293 Hop Sec)
Programmatic Spanish by Audio-Forum (CAS 461 Pro Sec)
Recipes: Latin American Cooking (641.5918 Rec Sec)
Santo Domingo : Past and Present with a glance at Haity by Manuel Hazard (972.93 Har)
Santo Domingo A to Z : the Visitor?s Complete Guide by Geoffrey Needler (910.27293 Nee)
Santo Domingo : Key to the West Indies by C. Brusiloff (917.293 Bru)
Spanish Gringos : language Learning Video (VT 460.03 Spa Sec)
The Tainos by F Jacobs (972.9 Jac)
Video Pasaporte Espa?ol: a real-life Program for Communicating in Spanish (VT 461 Esp Sec)
We Live in the Caribbean by John Griffiths (972.9 Gri Sec)
West Indies by Suzanne Anthony (972.9 Ant Sec)
The West Indies : How they Live and Work by Basile Cracknell) (917.29 Cra Sec)


FICTION

The Feast of the Goat : a novel by Mario Vargas Llosa (Fic Var Sec)
Homecoming by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv)
How the Garcia Girls lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv)
How Tia Lola came to visit stay by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv Sec)
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv)
In the Name of Solome by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv Sec)
Something to Declare by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv)
Yo! by Julia Alvarez (Fic Alv)

SPORTS

Baseball by James Kelley (796.357 Kel Sec)
Baseball : an Encyclopedia of Popular Culture by Edward J. Rielly (796.357 Rie Sec)
Latinos in Beisbol by James D. Coccroft (796.357 Coc Sec)
Sammy Sosa : Home Run Hero by Jeff Savage (921 Sos)
Sammy Sosa by Arlene Bourgeois Molzahl (921 Sos Sec)
Sammy Sosa Cubs Clubber by Caleb Maclean (921 Sos)
The Tropic of Baseball by Rob Ruck (796.357 Gar Sec)
The Only Ticket off the Island by Gare Joyce (796.357 Gar Sec)
 
L

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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Nice list Golo_One good Dominican history book I didnt see on your list was:
The DOMINICAN REPUBLIC A National History by Frank Moya Pons.
Larry
 
M

mkohn

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Jan 1, 2002
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Very nice list.
I wonder if I can get my hands on Folklore from the Dominican Republic by Manuel J Andrade (398.7293 And)
mk
 
J

jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
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golo...

Thanks for the list.

Has anyone read Dominican Diary , by Tad Szulc?

If so, how did he view the "revolucionarios"? Did he go along with what the US embassy was telling Washington?

Jose?to
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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No Jose, he was very pro "Constitucionalista" He disliked the embassy ....

HB
 
Keith R

Keith R

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Golo,
Excellent, comprehensive list. Some of the nonfiction is a bit dated (for example, the data in the last Area handbook is from 1989), but outside of Moya Pons & travel guides, getting good up-to-date English-langauge nonfiction on the DR is difficult. If you had to offer a similar list on Spanish-language texts, what would you include? Enriquillo, perhaps?
Atentamente,
Keith

P.D. By the way, I haven't seen Geoff's book. How good is it?
 
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C

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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From my bookshelf:

Fiction

All Julia Alvarez titles
Drown - Junot D?az (Riverhead/Penguin)
They Forged the signature of God - Viriato Senci?n (translated by Asa Zatz, Curbstone Press)
Soledad - Angie Cruz (Scribner/Simon and Schuster)
Harvest of Bones - Edwidge Danticat (Vintage)

Non Fiction

Why the Cocks Fight - Michele Wucker (Hill and Wang)
Dominican Republic: Beyond the Lighthouse - Jim Ferguson (Latin America Bureau)
Naboth's Vineyard - Sumner Welles (Payson & Clarke, 1928)

Chiri
 
J

jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
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Indie...

Si todo lo m?o es tuyo, are your books my books, too?

Do you know Angie Cruz?

-Jose?to
 
I

Indie

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Nov 15, 2002
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Jose?to...

But of course! (Heh, heh, heh, smooth player...)

No, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet.

-Indie
 
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Porfio_Rubirosa

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Apr 26, 2002
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The Early Spanish Main

Though not specifically about the DR, "The Early Spanish Main" by Carl O. Sauer is a fascinating look at the earliest Spanish colonial history, including early accounts of Taino culture reported by Fray Las Casas and other 16th century residents. About half of the book deals with Hispanola. You'd be suprised how many foods, cultural traits and ideologies of both the Tainos and conquistadors carry on to the present. You also get to learn about what a total charlatan Columbus was.
 
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Indie

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Nov 15, 2002
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CHIRI AND JOSE?TO...

Muddy Cup: A Dominican Family Comes of Age in a New America, by Barbara Fischkin (Scribner, 1997), is in my opinion a beautifully well-written rendition of the Dominican experience in the United States. Non-fiction.

I loved this book! Its vivid descriptions actually transported me emotionally back to my beautiful DR, where I left my heart! It's more of a detailed report, but her journalistic approach and flair is very sweet, and easy to read. And, if you like Julia Alvarez and Junot D?az, as I do, I'm sure you'll like Fischkin's style and her very honest portrayal of the Almonte family.

Here's more, from http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/montfish.html:

"Muddy Cup is the real-life, evocative story of the Almonte family. This is the tale of their struggles and triumphs as well as the troubled past and present of the land where Columbus founded the New World's first settlement; a history that propelled the Almontes and so many others to leave their home...

BARBARA FISCHKIN is a journalist whose first book grew out of a series of articles she wrote for Newsday about four generations of an immigrant family and its struggles to adapt to life in New York City. The original yearlong series on the Almonte family for Newsday earned the Livingston Award for International Reporting in 1986."

Chiri, let me know if you'd like a copy, and where to send it. Jose?to, what's mine is yours, babe.....

-Indie
Have you seen the independent film "My American Girls"?
 
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Keith R

Keith R

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Jan 1, 2002
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Re: From my bookshelf:

Chirimoya said:
Fiction

All Julia Alvarez titles
Drown - Junot D?az (Riverhead/Penguin)
They Forged the signature of God - Viriato Senci?n (translated by Asa Zatz, Curbstone Press)
Soledad - Angie Cruz (Scribner/Simon and Schuster)
Harvest of Bones - Edwidge Danticat (Vintage)

Non Fiction

Why the Cocks Fight - Michele Wucker (Hill and Wang)
Dominican Republic: Beyond the Lighthouse - Jim Ferguson (Latin America Bureau)
Naboth's Vineyard - Sumner Welles (Payson & Clarke, 1928)

Chiri
Click to expand...
Chiri,
I liked Junot Diaz's book too, but it was not really about the DR per se (just as most of Julia Alvarez's books aren't). No less enjoyable or valuable for that, but...
I wasn't aware that a translation had been done of Los que flasificaron la firma de Dios . When was that done? After it won the National Novel Prize in 1992? I still would probably prefer the Spanish -- many novels suffer in translation from Spanish to English.
Ever read Los cadaveres salen a flote by Victor A. Pena Rivera?
I noticed that Golo's list omited Balaguer's Memorias de un Cortesano. I wondered if this was on purpose or just an oversight.
Regards,
Keith
 
C

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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I liked Junot Diaz's book too, but it was not really about the DR per se (just as most of Julia Alvarez's books aren't).
Click to expand...

Keith, I used as my criteria books that were set, or partly set in the DR, so 'Drown' and all Julia Alvarez's books qualify. Note that 'Harvest of Bones' was included too: it's by a Haitian-American writer but almost entirely set in the DR.

The English translation of 'They Forged the Signature of God' was first published in 1995. I found it on amazon.com a few years ago. I haven't heard of the other book you mention, I'll look out for it.

Indie, tell more about the 'American Girls' film.

Chiri
 
J

Jane J.

ditz
Jan 3, 2002
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Note that 'Harvest of Bones' was included too: it's by a Haitian-American writer but almost entirely set in the DR.
Click to expand...
Actually, it's called The Farming of Bones - did that book break your heart, or WHAT? So, so sad....

I just scored a cool book on Ebay called Pautas, Usos y Costumbres en el Lenguaje Domincano. This is a series of letters from one Lourdes Camilo de Cuello to Rafael Herrera when he was director of the List?n Diario. It's a little *dry*, but I'm happy to have it.
 
J

jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
686
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Indie...

Is " My American Girls" a film about a Dominican family from Queens?
If so, then, yes, I've seen parts of it. I think that girl who went to Columbia U. ended up on a TV show, "Control", or something. She's been on a Toyota TV commercial lately.


Muddy Cup is on my list. Thanks, MamIndie.

-Jose?to
"Well, I could've been an actor, but I wound up here."-D.H.
 
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I

Indie

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Nov 15, 2002
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CHIRI AND JOSE?TO...

"My American Girls: A Dominican Story", is a video-documentary by Aaron Matthews about a family from Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It is a vivid portrayal of a year in the life of the Ortiz family -- hard working Dominican immigrants who live frugally and dream of retiring one day in their native country. Their American-born daughters have different ideas and aspirations. These bittersweet contradictions form the core of the film as the family sorts out the rewards and the costs of pursuing the American dream.

Sandra, the mother, grew up in the Dominican Republic, with 14 brothers and sisters, where there was no electricity or running water. She went to Brooklyn in 1975, all alone, seeking better work and pay. She and her husband, Bautista, hold two jobs each as hospital cleaners. Despite their long hours and relatively low pay, they provide their children with a comfortable lifestyle and the advantages of an American education. Their daughters represent the next generation of immigrants.
Matthews, the producer and director, lived with the family all throughout the filming.

I had the pleasure of meeting Aaron Matthews, as well as the entire Ortiz family, with the exception of the eldest daughter, Monica, at the 2001 New York International Latino Film Festival. Matthews came across as a very down-to-earth talented and professional director, who told me he did not transfer the video-documentary into film because it's a very expensive process he could not afford at the time. In spite of this, he captured the family's true essence, and the film got outstanding reviews and ovations everywhere.

I left the Festival wanting to adopt the family. Sandra is a short, matronly, lovely woman with a dazzling smile. Her accented English is perfect, and so are her manners. She is strong, hard-working and is a survivor, just like her husband, Bautista. Bautista is a really funny guy in person, and his dad (or her dad, I don't remember) loves to "throw flores" to the ladies. A beautiful campesino.

Aida, the middle child, is an unassuming true beauty, and future man-killer. And Mayra, the youngest, is tiny. She has that quality most younger sisters have and a few know all-to-well: annoying yet endearing most of the time. I loved them. They were all so humble, so nice, so wonderfully.....human. They are Dominicans.

I recommend you guys see this documentary, if you can. An original scene that was shown at the Festival was deleted from the video, however. That's too bad, because I thought it was necessary, if not crucial, to the film's artistic integrity.

For more information, see: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/myamericangirls

Jose?to, yes, that's the same Monica, who is also on Galavision's "Galascene". Smart cookie, that one. I haven't seen the TV commercial, though.

-Indie
 
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