Baca, Jimmy Santiago. The importance of a piece of paper

BACA, Jimmy Santiago. The importance of a piece of paper. Grove. 225p. c2004. 0-8021-4181-1. $12.00. SA *

This extraordinary collection of eight stories from one of America's premier contemporary poets is a wonderful surprise. Baca uses his full poetic and narrative powers with remarkable skill in stories that explore the wrenching conflicts between Chicano cultural traditions and modern America. Readers familiar with Baca's memoir. A Place to Stand, will also recognize many of his lifetime experiences embedded in the fictional renderings. In the title story, siblings become involved in a bitter dispute over ancestral lands. In some of the other stories, an orphan runs away from the orphanage with the help and love of his grandmother; a man and a woman make a sacramental commitment to each other, with a Tijuana bullfight as the extraordinary background: a lawyer's X-rated fantasies become complicated by the misadventures of grieving siblings: and upon their release from prison, three ex-convicts make some interesting discoveries about themselves.

High school students and adults will enjoy every one of the stories in this superb collection. Some of Baca's stories contain strong language that is contextually and aesthetically appropriate; however, teachers and parents need to decide whether younger readers should be exposed to these exceptionally well-written and important stories. Tim Davis, Lit. & Comp. Instructor, Univ. of W. Florida, Pensacola, FL

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.

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