Review Of "Where A Nickel Costs A Dime" By W. Perdomo

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

9-1-1996

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Young boys wrapped in grown men's bodies; street hustlers belting out their insistent song; ambulance and police sirens splitting the ears of both sun and moon; smiling politicians with invitations to America's sold-out dream; fleet-footed Nike 380s dancing above potholed, garbage-strewn streets; the aroma of Hispanic food cleansing a contaminated atmosphere; abandoned women standing tall in rat-infested buildings; bodies overcome by the warm juice flowing or by guns that do not squirt water. These are some of the sounds, smells, and images of the Spanish Harlem of Willie Perdomo, one of the most impressive new voices to have emerged from Manhattan's Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. Perdomo's words jump off the page as he offers unforgettable snatches of time and space, his postcards from El Barrio. "Save the Youth," "Clyde," "Poet in Harlem," and "Unemployed Mami" are just some of the excellent selections from this impressive first book. All collections.

Comments

This work is freely available courtesy of Choice Reviews. The review has been reproduced in full in the abstract field.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS