“Vida

para entenderme

tienes que saber español

sentirlo en la sangre de tu alma.”

Luis Alberto Ambroggio

 

“Life

to understand me

you have to know Spanish

feel it in the blood of your soul.”

 Translated by Lori M. Carlson

 

A book for young adults and older, “Cool Salsa” is filled with bilingual poems on growing up Latino in the United States. The various poets of the book come from a variety of backgrounds, from the cold weather of Michigan to the warm sandy beaches of Cuba. I feel as if the diversity of Latin America and Latin American cultures are captured in the poems.

Something very admirable about the book is that it not only shines light on the beauty of the Hispanic culture but it also addresses the more serious aspects of belonging to the Hispanic minority such as discrimination, violence, revolutions, and beauty standards.

I strongly feel this book is for everyone, not just Hispanics. Since culture is a large portion of the book I feel like it is a way for people of any ethnicity to get a feel of what being Hispanic is like in most cases.