Dance between two cultures: Latino Caribbean literature written in the United States

Abstract

William Luis. Dance Between Two Cultures: Caribbean Literature Written in the United Nashville: Vanderbilt UP, 2001. 352pp. William Luis's Dance Between Two Cultures (1997) is a detailed study of, as indicated by the subtitle, Latino Caribbean Literature Written in the United States. Luis uses the term to refer to people of Latin American descent born or raised in the United In the preface, Luis offers a clear explanation of his use of the term Latino, as well as clarifies the distinction he makes the terms Hispanic and Latino. Luis states: My definition of Latino, which reflects the lives of born or raised in the United differs from the one used by the other scholars and by politicians. Whereas the : general tendency is to use the terms Hispanic and interchangeably, I prefer to be more specific about the words' referentiality. is a reappropriation of the nomenclature Latin, as in Latin American. The usage of Latin in the U. S. context is meant to distinguish who reside in Latin America from who live in the United But Latins or Latinos growing up within the North American cultural context are unique because they have experienced a tension the culture of their parents and that of the United (x) Luis goes on to explain that he uses the term Hispanic in reference to those born or raised in their parents' country of origin, (x) and that the experiences of Hispanics and Latinos in the United States are markedly different (xi). The book focuses on contemporary literature, both poetry and prose, by Puerto Rican American, Cuban American, and Dominican American authors. The study's objective is to draw attention to works by authors from these backgrounds and their unique experiences between two cultures, experiences which often influence their writings. Luis views these authors as not only a cultural bridge Latin America (particularly the Caribbean region) and the United but also a literary bridge. According to Luis: Caribbean writers bom or raised in the United States are at the vanguard of a literary movement that has opened up a new field in literary history and criticism. The movement, both Hispanic and North American in character, is helping to bring the two cultural groups and their literature together. The body of literature produced gives meaning to postmodern and postcolonial concerns and expresses the aspirations, disillusions, and sense of acceptance and rejection felt by Puerto Rican Americans, Cuban Americans and Dominican Americans. Writing sometimes in Spanish but mainly in English, they speak both to and all North American readers. (ix) Dance Between Two Cultures is divided into eight chapters, and also includes a very useful preface, which clearly outlines the purpose of the book, and helps guide the reader with its overview of the topics and material to be covered in the book. In the preface, Luis makes clear that his intention is not to discuss the work of every author in the United Instead, he has selected a representative number of authors who enable him to explore the lives of Latinos on the mainland and the literary traditions of which their works are a part (xvii). Luis also points out that the field of literature is one that is currently evolving, More often than not, literary critics study writers and movements after they have come to an end. literature provides the distinct challenge of analyzing the movement as it unfolds (xvii). The first chapter, Setting New Roots: Caribbean Literature in the United States, contains an overview of the presence of Caribbean Latinos in the United A significant amount of historical background on Caribbean migration to the United States is provided. The historical overview includes an introduction to the topic of literature in the United …