Bodega Dreams

Bodega DreamsIn a stunning narrative combining the gritty rhythms of Junot Diaz with the noir genius of Walter Mosley, Bodega Dreams pulls us into Spanish Harlem, where the word is out: Willie Bodega is king. Need college tuition for your daughter? Start up funds for your fruit stand? Bodega can help. He gives everyone a leg up, in exchange only for loyalty and a steady income from the drugs he pushes. Lyrical, inspired, and darkly funny, this powerful debut novel

In a stunning narrative combining the gritty rhythms of Junot Diaz with the noir genius of Walter Mosley, Bodega Dreams pulls us into Spanish Harlem, where the word is out: Willie Bodega is king. Need college tuition for your daughter? Start-up funds for your fruit stand? Bodega can help. He gives everyone a leg up, in exchange only for loyalty--and a steady income from the drugs he pushes.

Lyrical, inspired, and darkly funny, this powerful debut novel brilliantly evokes the trial of Chino, a smart, promising young man to whom Bodega turns for a favor. Chino is drawn to Bodega's street-smart idealism, but soon finds himself over his head, navigating an underworld of switchblade tempers, turncoat morality, and murder.

"Bodega is a fascinating character. . . . The story Qui onez] tells has energy and verve." --The New York Times Book Review

"Rich with eye-opening detail, this is] a lively and entertaining work by a young writer whose talents are deserving of a wide readership." --Oscar Hijuelos, author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

"A new and authentic voice of the urban Latino experience." --Esmeralda Santiago, author of When I Was Puerto Rican

" Qui onez's] ideas for using fiction to galvanize the city into confronting poverty are invigorating. . . . Blend s] street-smart dialogue, culturally relevant prose, and progressive politics into a noir thriller with literary merit." --Time Out New York

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 03/14/2000
ISBN: 9780375705892
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.18w x 0.60d
Award: Street Literature Book Award Medal (Slbam) - Honorable Mention

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 01/17/2000 pg. 42
Library Journal 01/01/2000 pg. 162
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2000 pg. 142
Latina 03/01/2000 pg. 36
Poder Hispanic 03/01/2000 pg. 66
Time 03/27/2000 pg. 98
New York Times 03/12/2000 pg. 11
Entertainment Weekly 04/28/2000 pg. 102
Black Issues Book Review 07/01/2000 pg. 20
School Library Journal 09/01/2000 pg. 259
School Library Journal 08/24/2000